February 26, 2007	Monday	Safar 8, 1428

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LAHORE, Feb 25: The tragic death of an 11-year-old boy of Gulshan-i-Ravi in an incident related to kite flying on the last day of Basant left his family and neighbours with painful memories.

Umer Farooq, the youngest child of Muhammad Farooq of Abbotabad, was going on a bicycle when the twine of a stray kite slit his throat. He was rushed to Ganga Ram Hospital where he succumbed to his injury.

Later, the relatives led by Farooq held a demonstration outside the hospital and blamed the government for Umer’s death by allowing kite flying.

Amjad’s paternal uncle told this reporter that Umer, a class fourth student, left his house on a bicycle to deliver some goods to one of his relatives in the same area when he met with the accident at 12:45 noon.

With tears in his eyes, he said Umer was rushed to Surraya Azeem Hospital in Chauburgi from where he was referred to Ganga Ram where doctors failed to provide him O-negative blood. They even could not stop the bleeding which resulted in his death, he said.

His brother Asim said: “We had come to Lahore from Abbotabad to get better education, but did not know that such a tragic incident will happen with Umer.”

He said Umer had been studying in the Decent Model School in the same area and was good in studies.

When Umer’s body reached home, relatives and a large number of the locals gathered there.

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Ameerul Azeem and PML-N MPA Rana Mashood also visited the house and held the government responsible for the death.

Later, the relatives and the residents led by Ameerul Azeem left the house along with the body, blocked one side of the Gulshan-i- Ravi’s boulevard and marched towards the police station to get registered an FIR against the Punjab chief minister and other government officials. They also raised slogans against President Musharraf, the Punjab government and district nazim Mian Amir, holding them responsible for the killing.

A police contingent had been deployed on the road to maintain the law and order.

Nobody was allowed to enter the police station except Farooq. The police, however, turned down Farooq’s demand for registration of a murder case against the chief minister and the nazim, saying he better lodged an FIR against an unidentified person.

Umer’s funeral prayers were held at Moon Market amid tight security. Later, his body was taken to Abbotabad for burial.