Hattian Bala [PoJK]: Nearly four years after his son’s brutal murder, a grieving father, Syed Afir Kazmi, is still fighting an uphill battle for justice — a struggle he says has been buried under police corruption and the protection of powerful figures.
Kazmi, a college bus driver from Hattian Bala in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), lost his 22-year-old son, Syed Faraz Hussain Shah, a car mechanic, to what he describes as a premeditated killing by a group of influential men whose identities are well known to the authorities.
“The police know who the killers are, yet they have done nothing. I’ve been pleading for justice for four years, but no one listens,” Kazmi said, his voice breaking with frustration.
Despite clear evidence and official reports naming the accused, the suspects continue to walk free, allegedly shielded by their social and political connections.
Kazmi accuses the police of accepting bribes, delaying investigations, and extending VIP treatment to the prime suspects. “They treated my son’s murderers like guests,” he said bitterly.
Over the years, Kazmi has approached senior officials, including the Inspector General of Police, and submitted appeals to higher authorities — but no decisive action has been taken.
“If my son had belonged to a wealthy or political family, his killers would have been in jail by now,” he said.
In a renewed plea, Kazmi has called upon Shaukat Nawaz Mir and the Awami Action Committee to take up his case and push for accountability.
“I may be poor and powerless, but I will not give up until those responsible for my son’s death are punished,” he vowed.
Kazmi’s ordeal underscores a deep-rooted failure in Pakistan’s justice system — one that often shields the influential while denying justice to the vulnerable. For four long years, his cries have gone unanswered, while his son’s killers continue to live freely under the protection of power.
