One Year On: Families of two missing children protest against police inaction in Karachi

KARACHI: A year has passed since two children  disappeared from the Garden neighbourhood of Karachi, ARY News reported.

Four-year-old Aliyan and six-year-old Ali went missing while playing in the street. Families of the children staged a protest against the police in the Garden area, which left traffic jammed for hours.

The mothers of the children, along with relatives and neighbours, participated in the protest.

Due to the demonstration, traffic remained gridlocked for several hours in Garden, Pak Colony, Golimar, and Lasbela, stretching all the way to M.A. Jinnah Road. The protesters chanted slogans against the perceived incompetency of the police.

Aliyan’s mother, expressing her frustration with the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC), said the police questioned her frequent visits to the station. She said they asked, “Why do you visit the police station again and again?”

The grieving mother shared that she has been in constant pain for the last year, adding that officials merely offer hollow claims of sympathy. In tears, she recalled her son’s affection, saying Aliyan would kiss her face, forehead, and cheeks every night before sleeping and would ask her to kiss him back.

The child’s grandmother stated that the boys disappeared while playing in the street. She noted that even though the father was at home, the children vanished within five minutes of stepping outside.

The families demanded that the police recover the children immediately. They also appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar to take notice of the disappearances that have now spanned a full year.