Toddler’s murder: Scottish father appeals to PM, CJ for justice

LONDON: A Scottish Pakistani father has appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to look into the murder case of his toddler and help provide him justice.

Iftikhar Ahmad’s three-year-old Shahryar Ahmad was abducted and killed by a gang in Faisalabad in August 2014 in an extortion bid.

Iftikhar Ahmad told The News/Geo that his son was kidnapped by “Ashraf Bappi gang in broad daylight”. He said, “The gang kidnapped my son for ransom and then took him to Gojra where he was killed after the gang panicked. My son was strangled to death after being tortured. Several people saw the gang taking away my son. I am getting date upon date in the sessions court but there’s no justice in sight. Every two or three months I have to go to Pakistan for the same case but nothing has been done. There’s no one to listen to me.”

Shahryar was living in Faisalabad with mother Elam and younger brother Mohid while they waited for a visa to join Iftikhar Ahmad in the UK. The toddler was lured from his grand parents’ home by a little girl who asked him to come play and within minutes the gang took him away. The toddler’s body was found dumped in a rural canal by police two days later.

Iftikhar Ahmed said that a political figure of the area who also hails from the UK told him that unfortunately he would have to bribe the police to get them into action. He also wrote to a minister and he said ‘OK’ but nothing more than that has happened after that. Imran Khan promised to bring change. "I appeal to him to look into my son’s case and prove that Pakistan has changed under him."

Ahmad alleged that leader of the Faisalabad gang admitted that he had kidnapped and killed Shahryar Ahmad. “The local police is aware of that but the police is doing nothing about it as gangsters provide money to the police. The gang took my son from Faisalabad to Gojra and their movements were traced and locations were established but no action has been taken. The matter has been delayed for four years now.

The Scottish Pakistani dad said that he will not give up his fight for justice and appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to look into his case. “I have received death threats from the gang and I have been told that I will be attacked if I continued pursuing the case of my son. Once they blocked me in the middle of a road and showed me weapon.”

During some legal cases the court was hearing cases on day-to-day basis and Iftikhar Ahmad went to Pakistan thinking that justice system had sped up. But to his dismay he found that there was no such change. "I appeal to the chief justice to help me, he’s very active and passionate and I hope he will help me.”

Iftikhar Ahmad’s local MP Stephen Kerr has raised the issue of toddler’s death in Pakistan in Parliament and has written to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Pakistani High Commissioner in London.

He told The News in a statement that Shahryar Ahmad was brutally murdered and it’s unfortunate that Pakistani authorities have been reluctant to bring the killers to justice.

“We want the Pakistani authorities to begin to do something to address this massive injustice. Pressure now has to be brought to bear on the Pakistani authorities. I will not let the callous murder of a four-year-old British subject rest. I hope the Pakistan authorities are able to reopen the investigation and catch the people who killed Mr Ahmad’s son,” said the Sterling MP.

Iftikhar Ahmad said that his family remains devastated and has not been able to move on in four years.