The Khan family from Singapore had gathered in the Swabi District in Pakistan on Jan 23 this year to celebrate a relative’s birthday. Tragically, their visit there ended in a violent death for one of them.
For two months without incident, Mr Abdul Aziz Khan, his wife, Madam Fajrah, sons Omais Khan, 26, and Ravaid Khan, 24, Mr Ravaid’s wife Ravina Khan and their daughter stayed in a house at Kaddi village, 107km from the capital Islamabad. The house belonged to Mr Abdul Aziz’s parents.
On March 23, a burly man showed up at the doorstep of the house, said Mr Abdul Aziz, 50, a taxi driver.
He claimed to be part of a gang led by a man called Mustafa. He demanded that Mr Abdul Aziz and his sons hand over 1 million Pakistani rupees (S$13,000) and buy three AK-47 assault rifles for them.
“He told me that his gang will kill one of my children if we failed to arrange the money and guns in 14 days,” Mr Abdul Aziz told The New Paper in his four-room Housing Board flat in Bedok North on Thursday.
In a chilling gesture, before leaving, the man left photographs of four men armed with AK-47s at Mr Abdul Aziz’s doorstep. He claimed they were fellow gang members.
Fearing for his family, Mr Abdul Aziz said he wanted to return to Singapore, but was unable to do so, as “the vicinity was surrounded with gangsters and they won’t let me escape”.
His sons did not think the man would go through with his threat and they went on with their daily tasks.
On April 6, when Mr Ravaid stepped out to run errands at 5.30pm, 11 or 12 armed men surrounded him in front of an alley facing the house.
One of them opened fire and shot him about eight times in the abdomen and legs.
A shocked Mr Abdul Aziz ran downstairs, but the men fled.
“He died in my arms,” a tearing Mr Abdul Aziz said. “He wanted to say something, but was unable to because of the blood coming out of his mouth.”
Mr Abdul Aziz drove his son to a nearby hospital. A police officer was there and Mr Abdul Aziz told him about the shooting.
Due to the number of times Mr Ravaid had been shot, his body was in gruesome condition.
His family decided to bury him in a cemetery in Kaddi the next day.
On April 7, Mr Abdul Aziz went to the Singapore Consulate-General in Karachi and told them about the incident. He was told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Singapore would be informed.
Pakistan police arrested several suspects. They were charged in court in mid-April and are now out on bail, said Mr Abdul Aziz.
He and his family returned to Singapore on April 26.
They are still reeling from the death of their son, a former Mustafa Centre salesman.
Mrs Ravina, a housewife, who was seven months pregnant when her husband was shot, said: “I am just a 24-year-old widow with a one-year-old child and the other is in my womb.”
Her husband was especially excited about their second child, who is due at the end of this month. She showed photos of her husband with an ultrasound of the baby.
FATHERLESS
Mr Ravaid’s daughter was close to her father and used to wake him up every morning.
“She has been crying every morning looking for her father,” Mrs Ravina said.
Mr Ravaid’s brother, Mr Omais, a former part-time tutor, said: “He was more than a brother to me – we were almost twins.
“I feel helpless and dead inside.”
Mr Ravaid’s sister, Miss Seema, 21, did not get to see her brother for the last time.
She said: “My father stopped me from going for the funeral in Pakistan because he said the situation there was very dangerous.”
A cheerful person, Mr Ravaid was close to his national service mates.
One of his close friends, Mr Hafiz Zakariya, 24, a service technician, did not believe news of the death at first as “(Ravaid) was a funny guy who liked to play pranks”.
“This news is very hard to accept as we were very close. He was a nice friend and I’ll never forget him,” he said.
The family vows never to go back to Pakistan.
Mr Abdul Aziz went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 28 to follow up.
When TNP contacted the MFA on Thursday, a spokesman said: “MFA is in contact with Mr Abdul Aziz Khan and will continue to provide the necessary consular assistance to him and his family.”
Mr Abdul Aziz also filed a report with the police here on May 10.
“We are still in shock,” Mr Abdul Aziz said.
“I hope we can get justice for Ravaid.”
This article was first published on June 11, 2016.
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