Dilawaiz had received an award from the principal of her school for academic excellence a few days before she was killed. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
There was an unmistakable glow of pride on 13-year-old Dilawaiz’s face when she returned home on March 25, 2011. Earlier that day, she had received an award from the principal of her school for academic excellence.
She shared the good news with her parents, knowing all the while it was a small step towards achieving a very big dream. Dilawaiz had always wanted to be a doctor like her father who was an ENT specialist.
Little did she know that her childhood dreams and hopes would be shattered for good so soon. Four days later, Dilawaiz was lying in a pool of blood in her house oblivious to her parents’ screams. Sohail Dildar, her teacher at Haider Public School in Badhaber, had broken into their house and opened indiscriminate fire. She was critically wounded and was immediately rushed to Lady Reading Hospital where she died hours later.
The girl’s father, Dr Syed Abdul Jalil says his daughter was being harassed by Dildar.
“He was making life difficult for Dilawaiz,” he explains. “My daughter decided that she would leave school. When he came to know about her decision, he thrust a bullet in her hand and told her it would be the only certificate she would receive if she left.”
According to Jalil, Dilawaiz was frightened by this episode but was too afraid to tell him anything.
“If I knew, I would have told her not to go back to school,” he says. “Unfortunately, by the time I knew, it was too late.”
In cold blood
Recalling the fateful day when he lost his daughter, Jalil says the assailant had also shot his aunt and brother.
“After he had shot them, Dildar stormed out of the house and told neighbours he had killed everyone inside,” he explains. “The neighbours rushed my daughter, aunt and brother to the hospital. Dilawaiz died four hours later while the rest sustained injuries.”
An FIR was lodged against Dildar but his whereabouts could not be traced.
“It was believed that he had fled to the tribal areas,” Jalil adds.
Long road to justice
The family knocked on all the right doors to take the culprit to task.
“We sought help from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,” he says. “They wrote a letter to the IGP to investigate the matter.” However, things took an unpredictable turn when nine months after the incident, police learnt Dildar had moved to Saudi Arabia to work for a marble company.
“I appealed to the interior ministry to bring back Dildar but it did not help me,” says Jalil. “I had no choice but to take the matter up in the Peshawar High Court.”
On November 6, 2012, the high court ordered the interior secretary to arrest Dildar within two months with the help of Interpol and Saudi police.
For nearly three years, the family suffered in silence as there was no progress on the arrest. However, on June 6, Dildar was taken into police custody.
“I have a feeling he will file an application for his bail,” Jalil says, visibly frightened by the possibility. “If he does, Dildar will escape and justice will be delayed.”
Another Malala
“Dilawaiz had a passion for education and wanted to continue her studies at another school,” Jalil says. “My daughter’s story reflects the plight of girls who are harassed at educational institutes across Pakistan.”
The bereaved father draws parallels between Dilawaiz and Malala Yousafzai.
“There is no difference between both girls,” Jalil says, though not without pride. “Malala and Dilawaiz wanted to get an education but had to pay a heavy price for their dreams.”
Jalil believes her daughter’s murderer should be severely punished.
“If targeting schoolchildren is an act of terrorism, then the murder of my daughter at the hands of her teacher falls under the same category,” he adds, trying to hold back his tears.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2015.
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