In the line of duty: Had Shabana not been threatened with termination, would she be alive today?

55-year-old schoolteacher was hit by a stray bullet while on her way home from election duty

PESHAWAR: Shabana Shaheen, a 55-year old primary school teacher, was critically ill. She was a patient of hypertension and had recently developed kidney stones.

Weighed down by her ailments, Shabana was unsure if she would be able to perform election duty. Two days before the local government polls, she visited the office of the assistant returning officer (ARO) in Peshawar to get an exemption. However, Shabana’s request fell on deaf ears. Officials at the ARO office told her to be prepared to face termination if she did not show up for election day duty.

Faced with yet another dilemma, Shabana realised she could not risk losing her job as she had to provide for her four children. Her husband was not the primary earner, she was. Call it maternal instinct or a sense of responsibility, Shabana made sure she arrived at the polling station on Kohat Road on May 30 to do her assigned job.

A daughter’s nightmare

That morning, Beenish Imtiaz, her daughter, was overwhelmed by a nagging feeling that she should accompany her mother. She was apprehensive about letting her mother go alone as she feared her mother might feel sick in the midst of the hullabaloo expected at the polling station. And so she joined Shabana.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Imtiaz said she recalled the events leading up to her mother’s untimely death with disturbing precision.

“My brother-in-law called me at 9pm, asking if he should pick us up from the polling station,” she narrated. “I told him arrangements had been made to drop polling staff back home once counting had been completed.”

But, according to Imtiaz, they were then told to make their own arrangements to go home.

“We had to take a rickshaw to our house in Gor Ghatri,” she said. “However, there was a traffic jam at Ganj Gate. We decided to walk home.”

Like many tragedies, the two had the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. As Beenish and Shabana were walking home, the violence and insecurity which had gripped the city on polling day intersected with their lives.  Shabana was hit by a stray bullet and died at a hospital in Hayatabad on the early hours of May 31.

To mother, with love

Zohaib Hassan, the schoolteacher’s son, told The Express Tribune his mother’s death has left a gaping hole in their lives.

“In her absence, the house seems empty,” he said. “I discussed everything with her and constantly sought her advice.”

According to Zohaib, his mother’s death may have been forgotten as “No election representative or candidate visited our house to pay their respects.” He added, “They are too busy with the aftermath of elections.”

Reassessment

The provincial president of All Primary Teacher Association (APTA) Malik Khalid Khan said they lost two schoolteachers during the polls.

“Shabana Shaheen was one of them,” he shared. “The other was Khalid Khan who had a heart attack while on election duty.”

Malik Khalid has urged the government to include their names in the Shuhada Package to guarantee compensation to their families.

“I have also requested the government not to assign additional duties to teachers,” he added. “They are expected to teach, not participate in polio vaccination drives and carry out election duties.”

Elementary and Secondary Education Additional Secretary Qaiser Alam Khan said they are doing their best to ensure Shabana Shaheen’s name is included in the Shuhada Package.

“A summary of the deceased’s case has been sent to the chief minister,” he added. “Once we get a nod of approval from him, her children will be adequately compensated.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2015.