THIS is apropos of Dawn’s coverage of the killing of five members of a family in Askari III under the title ‘Ex-driver arrested for killing five of a family’ (March 7).

It was my family who were brutally murdered for money and I am thankful to the police and all other agencies which helped us in this hour of our grief.

I just want to say that I know that it was my family who all are gone in one go and I am the only one who can feel the pain and grief.

I am deeply hurt and it adds to my pain the way the story has been narrated in newspapers, especially in Dawn which has a reputation of reporting facts and not made - up stories.

Yes, I admit my brother had a drinking problem and he was suffering from clinical depression which is a disease most of us educated people are aware of.

He had been to different clinics for treatments in the past also.

My parents were bravely bearing the pain of having a son with a medical condition to deal with as a family unit and so were his wife and daughter.

The newspapers are custodians of the rights of the citizens and the reporters should clarify facts before reporting them.

The report in the newspaper not only demeans my family but also has made the whole incident sound as if they deserved what happened to them.

I think all of us need to wake up and see what is happening around us. Every high - end restaurant allows alcohol and every club holds parties where alcohol flows like fountains.

And if the reporters were so certain, which family member was asked for statements.

I and my brother who just arrived from Canada are the only two survivors and we were never asked for comments.

I don’t expect to read such demeaning stories in Dawn adding to the grief of not only me as a daughter but to our whole family which holds a status in society.

I expect a written apology and my advice is to confirm facts rather than hear it from servants and guards who themselves are involved in such cases.

The guards at Askari III narrating stories of family fights are the ones who used to be paid heavily by my father.

So why did they accept the money then and stay quiet? Why they did not report to the police then? I expect an answer.

I myself heard the killer describe the incident and not once did he say that any member of my family had demeaned him, so do you think they would demean each other in any way?

ZAITOON UMER Karachi

The report was based on the police version of the suspect’s statement, We regret if the report caused any distress to the family.—Editor