Journey of a lifetime: The man who dared, the man who drove

Can you imagine what it feels like to drive a bus full of bodies? This man knows

KARACHI: Was it courage? Or was it will? Or maybe it was just the subconscious that helped him drive the bus full of victims to Memon Hospital. The facility is located hardly a few minutes away from the scene of the massacre. But does the distance increase with the proportion of the weight you carry? In this case, it must have taken him a lifetime.

"The injured bus conductor drove the vehicle to the hospital," said an official at Memon Hospital. His claim was, however, contradicted by others present at the facility. "The conductor was injured and called another person from alAzhar Gardens who actually drove the bus," said a member of the Ismaili community who had rushed to the hospital in the wake of the attack. "I don't think the conductor drove it here."

According to witnesses, the bus conductor was hit in the head and fell to the floor. The attackers forgot he was still alive. "He survived and managed to bring the bus to the hospital," said another community member.



Those present at the facility were all praise for the brave man who dared to drive a bus full of bodies. "He should be given a national award for bravery," suggested Ali Asghar, a resident.

Sources at Memon Hospital said all the 43 victims were dead on arrival. "They were all shot in the head," said a source, adding that the terrorists shot to kill, but a few passengers luckily survived.

Volunteers from the Ismaili community formed a human chain at both entrances to the hospital. They would not allow the media to make a show out of their grief, they claimed. They also cordoned off the emergency ward, preferring to transfer the victims' bodies themselves. Their hands were soaked in blood, their clothes crimson. "It is a big tragedy for all of us," said one volunteer, before turning away to wipe his tears. "What we need is strict action against all terrorists," said another, questioning how many lives will need to be sacrificed for the authorities to wake up. "This should serve as a wake-up call for the nation. If the government can't take action against these terrorists, they will continue to launch attacks like these."

The hospital compound was blotted with blood stains from the entrance to the emergency ward. This was the blood of 50 innocent people who had left their homes for work. The ill-fated bus stood near the emergency ward, out of bounds for everyone. "There is nothing but hell inside that bus," said a hospital staffer. "It was the only bus that left from alAzhar Garden every morning for Aysha Manzil," Rahim, a community member who was looking for his classfellow told The Express Tribune. "My friend, Saif, was in the bus," he added, saying there was a class but Saif didn't reach it.

Rahim said most of the victims, including women, used the bus to travel to the city for shopping trips and meet their relatives living near Aysha Manzil. Saif, 20, and Nafeesa, 39, were admitted to the hospital's ICU ward in critical condition while six other injured, including Zuhra, Habeeda, Pinki, Noman, Zubeda and Roshan were shifted to Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), said the management at Memon Hospital. Sources said that all the injured admitted at the AKUH were out of danger.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2015.