NDTV : Karachi blasts: Survivors move on with life

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Karachi blasts: Survivors move on with life

Munizae Jehangir | Karachi | October 22, 2007

A family lost three of its members in the Karachi blasts, which killed more than 139 people last week.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's procession, who returned from exile in London, was attacked on Friday night.

NDTV tracked the survivors of the blasts who are now trying to put their lives back together again.

Amjad, who is not a supporter of Benazir's Pakistan People's Party, had taken his mother, one and a half year old daughter Saira and niece to the rally just to be part of the fun.

But Amjad's six-year-old niece could return home.

Kulsoom was lucky to get away with some bruises but her little cousin Saira wasn't. Saira's mother has not only lost her only child but has become a widow at the age of 25.

According to custom she must hide her face for two months now. However, what she cannot hide is her grief.

"My daughter is asking milk. What do I do?" said Yasmin Amjad, Amjad's wife.

The government has announced compensation for the victims but the Amjad family is yet to receive any.

Perhaps no amount of money will heal their wounds. They blame Benazir for their misery.

"We are against Benazir Bhutto and will not forgive her. All this happened because of her. We will not get any relief till her name is wiped off this earth," said Muntaz Iqbal, a relative of the family.

Given the government's dismal record of bringing the perpetrators of earlier terror attacks to justice, the Amjad family doesn't expect any miracles this time around.

"I have no hope. The government has not been able to pin down those responsible for the terror attacks before. How will this time be any different? Allah will give us justice," said Najma Arshad, a relative of the family.

The investigations in to the blast are ongoing but the Amjad family is convinced that like in the past when investigations into terrorist attacks remained inconclusive, this time round the terrorists may again get away scot-free.