As police investigates, slain teen’s family seeks answers

Hamza Ahmed was allegedly shot dead by Shoaib’s guards on April 27.

KARACHI: The day Hamza Ahmed died, his eight-year-old brother clung to the terrace railing for hours. He wept and waited for his brother to return home, coming inside only when he had lost his strength.

Four days later the young boy, now composed, stared at a picture of his brother on his laptop. “Those who killed my brother don’t have a soul.” Like the boy, the rest of the family believes the same. Hamza was killed because he was not powerful and had no guards, they claim.

On April 27, the 16-year-old was allegedly shot dead by another boy’s guard outside Downtown café. Both O’ Level students had turned up at the spot to resolve a matter involving Hamza’s girlfriend. Shoaib had allegedly harassed her, which had upset Hamza. The meeting turned deadly when Hamza slapped Shoaib, who was accompanied by a guard. The armed man, Amal, allegedly shot Hamza four times.

At the slain teenager’s house on Khayaban-e-Rahat, the grieving family is now grappling for answers. “We had no idea what was going to happen to him that day,” said his elder sister. The family was getting ready for a party to be held for Hamza’s cousin. “Before leaving, Hamza told us to iron his clothes as he would be back in 10 minutes.”

Hamza’s father, Talib, held up a letter issued recently by All Pakistan Security Agencies Associations which stated it was mandatory for security guards to be in their uniforms all the time. “If the man who accompanied Shoaib was a guard, why wasn’t he in uniform at the time of the murder?” An uncle chimed in, saying, “It was all planned. Why did Shoaib have to bring an armed man with him to meet Hamza?”

The grief-stricken family and friends criticised the police for their slow investigation as they have yet to arrest the guard. “It was us who located three bullets from the crime scene. It was us who knocked on doors and asked what happened that day. What did the police do?” asked a childhood friend.



Hamza’s friends said that he would do anything for them. “He sold his favorite Gucci belt to help a friend settle a debt. Another time, he gave his BlackBerry to a friend who lost his phone.”

Hamza had plans to leave for the US after the exams. He wanted to become a businessman. “He was tired of the situation in the country. He wanted to be away from bloodshed,” said a friend.

“Guards aren’t hired to kill anyone. Shoaib’s father should also be held accountable,” said Hamza’s aunt.

‘Shoaib wouldn’t hurt a fly’

Meanwhile, Shoaib’s family and friends seem to have lost their son too. Friends of Shoaib, who was a student of Bay View Academy, say he wouldn’t hurt a fly. “He would be the last person to hurt anyone. He is one of the nicest persons I have known,” said a close friend. “Shoaib will never be the same again. He has died too.”

Amal, the guard who allegedly shot Hamza, was recently hired by Shoaib’s father -a businessman who was facing threats. Amal would accompany Shoaib whenever he would step out of the house.

At the Darakshan police station, Shoaib looked nervous as he sat handcuffed. Dressed in a white kameez shalwar, Shoaib kept his gaze at the floor until police officials whisked him away for a medical examination.

Another close friend of Shoaib said that they did not believe that he was harassing the girl. “She should come out and say something,” said the friend, adding that he was not a fan of the ‘guard culture’. “But in today’s situation, where there are bomb blasts everywhere, who can blame Shoaib’s family for hiring a guard?”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2013.

Correction: An earlier version of the article misstated that the guard Amal accompanied Hamza, instead of Shoaib, in the third last paragraph. The error has been rectified.