Zulifqar Masih, with a heavy heart, shared the heartbreaking story of his daughter’s brutal murder. “In an instant, my world fell apart,” he said, his voice filled with sorrow. “My daughter lay lifeless before my eyes, and I was left seriously injured by the bullet that struck my left arm. Despite the crowd that had gathered around us, nobody called for emergency help.”
“I pleaded desperately for assistance,” he continued, his words echoing the anguish of a father’s helplessness. Thankfully, a compassionate person from the crowd stepped forward, offering assistance. Taking both Aniqa and Zulifqar Masih on their bike, they rushed them to Shahdara Teaching Hospital. Tragically, Aniqa was pronounced dead upon arrival, while the medical team tended to Zulifqar, removing the bullet lodged in his arm before discharging him.
The devastating news rippled through the family like a thunderbolt, leaving them numb with grief. Aniqa’s body was returned after a postmortem examination, and her funeral ceremony was solemnly held the following day, Sunday 7th April, as she was laid to rest in a local graveyard.
Amidst the mourning, justice began to take its course. An FIR was filed against the two unknown robbers, whose identities were later uncovered thanks to the police’s tracing of their location through Muhammad Hassan’s mobile phone, which had been locked inside the cash box. These fugitives, implicated in numerous murders during their robbery spree, were killed in a police encounter on Sunday afternoon, bringing a semblance of closure to the tragic saga.
Zulifqar Masih, a humble sweeper at WASA (Water and Sanitation Agency) Lahore, now carries the weight of unimaginable loss, his heart heavy with grief for his beloved daughter whose life was cut short by senseless violence.