Karachi: Azaan's mother rejects claims kidnapping was 'scripted drama'

KARACHI: The mother of two-and-a-half-year-old Azaan has strongly rejected social media allegations that her son’s alleged kidnapping was a staged incident, saying no mother would ever put her child through such an ordeal.

Azaan, who was allegedly abducted from New Nazimabad in Karachi, was recovered safely from the Gharo town of Sindh after being missing for three days.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Azaan’s mother became emotional while responding to criticism on social media, where some users alleged that the kidnapping had been scripted.

“You all have women in your families. Do you treat them with the same disrespect?” she said. “A mother would sacrifice her own life, but she would never hand over her child.”

She described the incident as the most difficult time of her life, saying it felt as though her world had come to a standstill when her son went missing.

She also questioned the role of the private housing society, saying no one was holding the society’s management or security guards accountable for the incident.

Responding to criticism over her use of a mobile phone shortly before the kidnapping, she claimed that the CCTV footage circulating on social media had been selectively trimmed.

According to her, the housing society deliberately made only a short clip viral, showing her using a mobile phone, while omitting the next 10 minutes of footage. She said the complete video showed Azaan sitting beside her, eating and talking with her before he went missing.

“They intentionally released the short clip in which I was using my phone, but cut out the next 10 minutes of footage where my child is sitting with me, eating and talking. They should show that footage as well,” she said.

She alleged that the society’s management wants to shift responsibility onto her and divert attention from alleged security lapses.

Read More: Mystery deepens over recovery of kidnapped Karachi child Azaan

The child’s father also raised concerns over the security breach, saying it was alarming that a young child could allegedly be taken from Karachi to Gharo so easily without being intercepted.

According to Azaan’s mother, the entire incident unfolded within minutes. She said her son was out of her sight for only about five minutes, while the alleged kidnapper left the housing society within eight minutes. She added that the family spent several hours searching different blocks, houses and surrounding areas, unaware that the child had already been taken away.