Senseless violence: 19-year-old Adee dies for pressing the accelerator pedal

Teenager was a first year student at KU’s statistics department and had recently learnt how to drive.

KARACHI:

The mother of 19-year-old Adee Atif Siddiqui had pleaded to the robbers to spare the life of her only son; they did not listen.

The two suspected bandits were angry as Adee had tried to drive away when they had ordered him to stop.

As punishment for his ill-fated attempt to escape, one of them shot him in the chest as his mother watched, helplessly. As a pool of blood formed in the driver's seat of their white Suzuki Alto, the city's violent streak had claimed another life.

It took the criminals just a few minutes to end Adee's life, and his dream of one day becoming an actuary will now never be fulfilled. "His only fault was that he tried to drive away," said his mother, breaking down into tears as she recalled the traumatising details.

The teenager was a first year student of the statistics department at the University of Karachi and had just recently learnt how to drive.

It was on Monday that Adee was on his way with his mother to pick up his father Talha Sadiq, a hakeem by profession, from his clinic. The clinic was a 15-minute drive away from their house in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

"Abi, I am coming to pick you up," were Adee's last words to his father, but he never did.

Adee and his mother were accosted on the bridge near Safari Park by two men on a motorcycle. Adee's mother had been mugged twice and felt she knew what was to come. However, her son tried to drive the car forward in an attempt to dodge the suspected robbers.

The men got off their motorcycle, placed in front of the car, and without saying a word, shot Adee in the chest. The bullet of the 30-bore pistol entered through the right side and exited the body through the left, piercing his heart.

"The men left as daringly and fearlessly as they had come," said Adee's mother, tears rolling down her cheek. Women prayed in unison for Adee in the other rooms as men silently read the Quran.

The parents deny reports that the boy was affiliated with a political party, and do not believe he was targeted as he had no known enemies. "He was not associated with any party."

The family sits in Adee's room, which is draped in red; the colours of his favourite football team, Manchester United. "He loved to watch and play football. He started collecting footballs when he was only four," said Adee's father.

Posters of footballs players - Messi, Ronaldo, and Rooney - are taped to the wall. Pictures of his 'dream team' are pinned to his closet. "If his team lost, he would cry, and we would have to console him," said Sadiq.

An FIR has been registered at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station under section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. There have been no arrests so far. Police say that there was no CCTV camera in the area but the clothes have been sent for examination and a sketch of the shooter has been made.

The family, however, place little faith in law enforcement agencies. The latest incident has made them lose hope in this country; they now believe all youngsters should go abroad.

"In the past 12 months, my clinic has been robbed 11 times. I have registered FIRs for three of them, but nothing has happened. Nothing will happen in my son's case too. Nothing will ever change," said Talha.

Except that his son will never return.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2014.