Four years on, father in PoJK accuses police of shielding son's killers

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Nearly four years after his 22-year-old son was murdered, a grieving father in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) continues his fight for justice, alleging that law-enforcement officials have deliberately sabotaged the case to protect influential suspects.

Syed Afir Kazmi, a college bus driver from Hattian Bala, says his son, Syed Faraz Hussain Shah, a young car mechanic, was brutally killed by men "whose identities were known from day one".

Yet, he claims, not a single perpetrator has been brought to justice.

"The police identified the accused, but they never acted," Kazmi told Kashmir Breaking News.

"I have spent four years going from office to office, begging for justice, but the system is protecting the powerful."

Kazmi alleges that the accused enjoyed political patronage and social influence, which allowed them to remain untouched despite what he describes as clear police records and witness accounts.

Instead of pursuing the suspects, he says officers delayed investigations, accepted bribes, and "treated the killers like guests".

The bereaved father says he has repeatedly appealed to senior police officials, including the Inspector General, and filed written requests to higher authorities -- all in vain.

"If my son had been from an elite home or a political family, his killers would be behind bars by now," he said, his voice breaking.

In a renewed plea, Kazmi has called upon Shaukat Nawaz Mir and the Awami Action Committee to intervene and demand accountability from authorities in the region.

"I am a poor man with no influence," Kazmi said.

"But I will not stop. My son deserves justice, and I will fight until his killers face the law."

Kazmi's struggle has become symbolic of a deeper crisis in Pakistan -- a justice system where power and privilege dictate outcomes, leaving ordinary citizens like him trapped in grief, helplessness, and unanswered appeals.

--IANS

sas/khz