KARACHI, Nov 1: Like many other diehard supporters of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party who went to witness the homecoming of Benazir Bhutto, almost thousand people from Old Golimar did not miss the opportunity to greet her. They joined the bigger mass of people that had gathered from all over the country but by the next day, three of them lost their lives while 11 had been seriously injured. One after another, their families were given the news about their loved ones.
Thirty-five-year-old Ali Bakhsh left home at 7.30am, telling his family that he may not return that night. In fact, he was never to return. The family received a call from his close friends at 12.30am, telling them about his death.
The father of a year-old girl, Bakhsh married two years ago; his 25-year-old wife Zarina and daughter will now be supported by his elder brother Imam Bakhsh, who earns Rs7000 and six children of his own. Since the family has no precedent of widow remarriage, there are hardly any chances that Zarina will tie the knot again. And since she never received an education, the rest of her life will be spent at her in-laws’ house.
“None of his brothers went to the rally or to the airport to welcome Benazir,” says the young man’s 60-year-old mother, Bibi Jan. “I did not want him to go as political gatherings have become quite a threat to human lives in this city, but he did not listen,” she laments. However, she points out that no one had the faintest idea of what was going to happen and that is primarily why so many people went out to welcome the party leader. Bakhsh wanted to show his gratitude to the party by taking part in the October 18 event. It was the PPP that helped him secure employment as a peon in the Sindh government’s Finance Department some years ago.
The story of Shaukat (40), more commonly known as Haji, is not too different. He leaves behind two school-going children, Mustafa and Hajira, and his wife Amina. All of them now face the hardships of life on their own. Haji was a gatekeeper in a school near his house. He had been a PPP supporter for a very long time. On the evening of October 18, Haji left to welcome his leader but did not return. His wife got worried and went to his brother’s house to find out about him. “Since I could not myself go to the spot where the incident took place, I asked Haji’s brother to find out about him,” she weeps. “I learned about my husband’s death 12 hours after the blasts.” Haji’s body was recovered from the Edhi Centre in Sorab Goth. Now, Amina fears for the fate of her children. She hopes to be able to get a job so that she and her children are not dependent on anyone.
Another victim of the tragedy was Anwar Ali. This 35-year-old man was amongst the best football players of the area. He had been the captain of his team at the Parwana Football Sports Club and had played at the provincial level. “He was enthusiastic as far as the PPP was concerned,” says his mother. “Although he was unemployed, he had high hopes of BB and thought that her return to power would open up avenues for jobless people like him.” Ali’s body was discovered by some of his relatives who work in Jinnah Hospital.
Despite the claims made on television by party supporters, the families of the injured and the dead say that they would have never let their relatives attend the rally if they had known what was going to happen.
Nothing can bring back the dead to life yet something can be done to help the relatives of those who died. PPP leaders have collected information from the families of the dead and claim that aid will be provided. The government has promised to give Rs0.5m to the families of those who died and Rs50,000 to the injured. The City District Government Karachi, however, has proved quite efficient and has already given Rs10,000 to the bereaved families.
