Finding Shaam: In Lahore, Pakistani Christian family hopes for Easter miracle

Parveen Massey holds a picture of her missing son, Shaam Arif Massey, who went missing in 2023, in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 31, 2024. (AN photo)
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Updated 01 April 2024
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Finding Shaam: In Lahore, Pakistani Christian family hopes for Easter miracle

  • Christian community in Lahore’s Fazlia Colony says police unhelpful in finding missing Shaam Arif Massey
  • Shaam, 35-year-old with learning disability, disappeared in November, family says has exhausted all avenues of help

LAHORE: In a busy maze of little streets deep inside the Shah Jamal area of Lahore, one prayer dominated the Easter Day service at the United Church of Lahore on Sunday: for the return of 35-year-old Shaam Arif Massey, who wandered outside his home in November last year and never returned. 

The disappearance of Shaam, who grew up with a learning disability after traumatic brain injuries sustained as a child, has shaken the tight-knit Christian community of Fazlia Colony and its surrounding areas, home to roughly 300 Christian families and where Shaam’s family has lived for 40 years in a two-bedroom home built by his grandfather.

Though it was Easter Sunday, there were few signs of celebration in the neighborhood where Shaam’s case has become symbolic of the larger plight of Pakistan’s Christian community, which forms less than 2 percent of the Muslim-majority nation’s population of 241 million and lives mostly in poverty or in fear of attacks.

Parveen Massey, Shaam’s mother and a cleaner at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, told Arab News she returned home from work on Nov. 13 last year to find that Shaam was not sitting on his usual spot on the front steps of the family home.

“I asked my grandsons, ‘Where’s Shaam?’ They said he hadn’t come home since morning. I said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I would have rushed home from work’ ... Nobody told me and the entire day had passed,” Massey said.




The picture shared by Parveen Massey on March 31, 2024, shows an undated photograph of 35-year-old Shaam Arif Massey, who went missing in Lahore, Pakistan, in November 2023. (AN photo)

The police complaint was registered the same evening.

“But five months on, the police haven’t even come to see our house or where we live. In five months, they’ve never checked in on us. I just go by myself, alone and stand at their [police station] gate.”

The concerned police station is the Icchra Police Station located a few hundred meters from the Massey home. Shaam’s mother last visited two weeks ago, with policemen shooing her away saying they were trying to find Shaam.
 
“But I’m the only one looking,” she said as she showed a copy of the First Information Report (FIR), or police complaint.

“DEAD ENDS”

After a brain injury at age seven which led to a trail of unfortunate events from missing prescriptions to hospital malpractice and the family’s inability to afford his care bills, Shaam received unknown medications and tranquilizers over many years at various mental health institutes in Lahore, according to his family.

Once the medications were discontinued several years ago, Shaam stopped speaking for the most part and spent his days on the small rooftop of his home feeling the sun and air on his face with his dog Daisy by his side — until the day he disappeared without a trace.

At the Ichhra Police Station, the famed building where the murder case against Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was first filed back in 1974, the officer assigned to Shaam’s case, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Akbar Ali, was not available for comment. 

His colleague sub-inspector Muhammad Ali agreed to speak with Arab News but had few answers on the case, including if police were reviewing CCTV footage.

“I can tell you that back when the government started the Safe City surveillance program, things were easy. It was easy to track crime and missing persons,” he said, referring to an AI-driven policing system launched in 2015.

“But now the cameras aren’t maintained, their line of vision is blurred by objects and trees that nobody bothers adjusting, and frankly, we just don’t have enough of them [cameras] … And so, we get to dead ends in such cases.”




Parveen Massey holds a picture of her missing son, Shaam Arif Massey, who went missing in 2023, in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 31, 2024. (AN photo)

Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs, did not respond to phone calls seeking comment. 

With little help from police, Shaam’s family, including his older sister Fazeelat Fakhar who works as a babysitter at the homes of Lahore’s elite families, has turned to using connections through employers to push police to prioritize the case. 

But nothing has worked.

“Back when Shaam went missing, it was winter, it was so cold,” Fakhar said, her eyes filling with tears.

“From my heart, I’ve tried everything. I’ve looked for my brother non-stop but there’s just no sign of him.” 

Fakhar said she had visited dozens of police stations, bus stations and shrines around the area over the last five months and left her brother’s photograph wherever she could:

“My mind and my heart say that he’s safe with an NGO somewhere and that he’s still alive.”

And though there is no breakthrough in the case, religious holidays like Easter bring new hope for Shaam’s return.

“He wasn’t with us for Christmas and now Easter has also passed,” Fakhar said. “But Easter is the day for miracles and we pray we can celebrate again when Shaam comes home.”


Top leaders of Imran Khan’s party briefly arrested, released in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi

Updated 24 min 22 sec ago
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Top leaders of Imran Khan’s party briefly arrested, released in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi

  • Leader of the opposition in the national assembly and other PTI leaders had arrived at Adiala jail to meet Khan
  • Ex-PM has been in jail since August last year and faces a slew of legal challenges he says are politically motivated 

ISLAMABAD: Top aides of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan were briefly detained before being released in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi as they arrived to meet their leader at a local prison, his party said on Tuesday, with police saying they were arrested for breaking a law against public gatherings. 

Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, and several other leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had arrived at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail to meet Khan when they were arrested for what Punjab Police has described as violating Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code, a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit the assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period. 

“PTI workers were detained for violating Section 144 but were released after being issued a warning,” Punjab Police Spokesperson Sajjadul Hassan told media. 

The PTI says the leaders were detained to block them from meeting Khan who has been imprisoned since August last year and faces a slew of legal cases, from corruption to terrorism, which he says are politically motivated. 

“PTI leadership has been set free, after being kept in custody till the time for scheduled meeting with Imran Khan was over,” the party said in a text message to reporters.

In a post on X, the PTI said the arrests showed the “blatant misuse of power” of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N party, which it said was “aimed at silencing PTI leaders and anyone standing with Imran Khan.”

“This assault on political freedoms is a grave warning for all citizens. The nation must stand up for itself, get organized, and peacefully protest,” the PTI said. “This is not an issue of any one person or party; it is a matter of Pakistan’s survival and integrity.”

Since his ouster from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary no-trust vote, Khan has been embroiled in over 150 cases and has been sentenced in several, including to three years, 10 years, 14 years and seven years to be served concurrently under Pakistani law. Khan’s convictions were later overturned in appeals but he cannot be freed due to other, pending cases against him.

He has maintained his innocence and has argued that the cases are an attempt to sideline him politically by keeping him out of the public area. The government denies it is persecuting Khan or his party. 


Pakistan spinner Noman Ali bags ICC’s prestigious men’s Player of the Month award

Updated 12 November 2024
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Pakistan spinner Noman Ali bags ICC’s prestigious men’s Player of the Month award

  • Noman Ali, along with spinner Sajid Khan, was instrumental in Pakistan’s Test series win over England last month 
  • Ali’s returned his career-best figures in second Test at Multan, taking 8/46 to help Pakistan secure 152-run victory

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani spinner Noman Ali bagged the International Cricket Council’s ‘Men’s Player of the Month’ award for October, cricket’s global governing body said on Tuesday, for his stellar 20 wickets in last month’s Test series against England that helped his team secure a 2-1 series victory. 

Ali took 11 wickets in the second Test match against England in Multan while he grabbed nine wickets in the second Test to ensure Pakistan beat England. In the first Test, Pakistan beat England by 152 runs while in the second, they completed a nine-wicket rout of the former ODI world champions. 

Ali and spinner Sajid Khan were both picked up for the second and third Test matches in Multan and Rawalpindi, respectively, after Pakistan dropped cricket stars Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and pacer Naseem Shah. The gamble paid off, as Khan and Ali spun Pakistan to a series victory on pitches that were made spin-friendly by curators via large fans and heaters. 

“I am delighted to be named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month and deeply grateful to all my teammates who helped me put my best performances forward to help Pakistan win a historic home Test series against England,” Ali said in a statement shared by the ICC. “It is always exciting to be a part of such memorable wins for your country.”

The award win comes after Noman entered the top ten of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings for the first time last month, bowling expertly in tandem with Khan. This was the career-best figures for the left-arm Pakistani spinner. 

Ali also contributed with the bat in the first innings of the third Test match in Rawalpindi, playing an impressive 45-run knock at number nine to help his side gain an impressive 77-run lead. 

Ali, a Test specialist, could next feature in Pakistan’s Test series against South Africa. The green shirts are scheduled to play two Test matches in the African country, three ODIs and three T20Is in December and January 2025. 

West Indies will also tour Pakistan for a two-match Test series in January 2025. 


Cop ‘facilitator’ of attack on Pakistan police compound that killed 86 arrested — official

Updated 12 November 2024
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Cop ‘facilitator’ of attack on Pakistan police compound that killed 86 arrested — official

  • Chief of police says suspect arranged suicide jackets, explosives and militants from Afghanistan
  • Suicide bomber struck mosque inside police compound in Jan 2023, Kabul denies involvement 

PESHAWAR: A policeman considered the main suspect in planning a deadly blast at a police compound in northwestern Pakistan last year has been arrested, the Inspector General Police of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (IGP) province said on Tuesday. 

A suicide bomber struck a crowded mosque inside the Peshawar Police Lines compound on Jan. 30, 2023, killing 86 and injuring nearly 250 people who had gathered for an afternoon prayer congregation. Most of the casualties were police officers. It was not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound, which houses the police headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar and is itself located in a high-security zone with other government buildings.

Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, IGP Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur said the suspect had been identified as Muhammad Wali, a police constable in Peshawar who had been arrested on Oct. 11 this year from the city’s Jamil Chawak. Two suicide jackets were recovered from the suspect who was nabbed in a joint operation by police and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

 “The suspect was involved in providing suicide jackets, explosives, and terrorists from Afghanistan,” Gandapur said, explaining Wali’s alleged involvement in the planning of the attack. 

“The suspect is affiliated with the banned organization Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA),” he added, referring to a subgroup of Pakistan’s indigenous Taliban movement, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

“He joined the police in 2019 and took leave three years ago and traveled to Afghanistan … The suspect provided the map of Police Lines to the suicide attacker through Telegram [messaging service] and escorted him from Khyber [district bordering Afghanistan] to Peshawar’s Pir Zakori area.”

Gandapur said the “facilitator” had received Rs 0.2 million for his assistance in the attack, adding that he was involved in other attacks as well for which he would move suicide jackets and explosives between various locations.

Pakistan has repeatedly blamed a surge in terror attacks on neighboring Afghanistan, saying most assaults are carried out by Afghan nationals and their facilitators and by TTP and other militants who cross over into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan. 

The Taliban government in Kabul says Pakistan’s security challenges are a domestic issue and cannot be blamed on the neighbor. 


Pakistan wants ICC explanation after India’s Champions Trophy snub

Updated 12 November 2024
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Pakistan wants ICC explanation after India’s Champions Trophy snub

  • India have refused to travel across the border for next year’s Champions Trophy
  • India have not toured Pakistan since 2008 because of soured political relations 

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sought clarification from the sport’s governing International Cricket Council (ICC) following India’s refusal to travel across the border for next year’s Champions Trophy, a PCB spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.

India have not toured Pakistan since 2008 because of soured political relations between the neighbors, who play each other only in global multi-team tournaments.

Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year but winners India played all their matches in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid model.”

The PCB has ruled out a similar arrangement for the Feb. 19-March 9 Champions Trophy despite the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) maintaining its stance of not sending a team to Pakistan citing government advice.

“The PCB has sent a letter to the ICC seeking clarification,” the spokesperson said, adding it was awaiting Pakistan government advice before deciding their next step.

“The PCB received an email from the ICC late last week, stating that the BCCI has informed them that their team will not travel to Pakistan...

“The PCB has forwarded that email to the government of Pakistan for their advice and guidance.”

ICC officials were not immediately available to explain how it planned to resolve the uncertainty around the elite 50-overs tournament.

While India’s presence is crucial to the commercial success of the ICC event, Pakistan might pull out of the tournament should it be shifted out of the country, the Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday citing sources.

The ICC is in talks with the PCB and the participating boards before finalizing the schedule of the eight-team tournament.


Beijing pushes for own security staff to provide protection to citizens in Pakistan

Updated 12 November 2024
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Beijing pushes for own security staff to provide protection to citizens in Pakistan

  • String of recent attacks have angered China, pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system
  • Pakistani officials say consensus developing on setting up joint system, Chinese officials sitting in on security meetings and coordination 

ISLAMABAD: Beijing is pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation, during talks after a car bombing in Karachi that was seen as a major security breach, sources said.
Last month’s airport bombing in the southern port city that killed two Chinese engineers returning to work on a project after a holiday in Thailand was the latest in a string of attacks on Beijing’s interests in Pakistan.
The attacks, and Islamabad’s failure to deter them, have angered China, which has pushed Pakistan to begin formal negotiations for a joint security management system.
Five Pakistani security and government sources with direct knowledge of the previously unreported negotiations and demands spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, as the talks are sensitive.
“They (Chinese) want to bring in their own security,” said one official, who sat in on a recent meeting, adding that Pakistan had not so far agreed to such a step.
It was not clear whether Beijing wants to bring in state or private security personnel for the task.
Neither Beijing nor Islamabad confirmed the talks officially.
The source, and two other officials, said there was a consensus on setting up a joint security management system, and that Pakistan was amenable to Chinese officials sitting in on security meetings and co-ordination.
But there was no agreement on their participating in security arrangements on the ground.
The first official said Pakistan had asked China for help in improving its intelligence and surveillance capabilities instead of direct involvement.
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry told Reuters it was not familiar with talks on a joint security scheme, but added, “China will continue to strengthen co-operation with Pakistan and make joint efforts to do its utmost to maintain the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions.”
Inter-Services Public Relations, the information wing of the Pakistan army, declined to comment. The interior and planning ministries did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
In a statement last week, Pakistan’s interior ministry said both sides agreed to develop a joint strategy to prevent similar incidents in the future.

’GRAVE SECURITY BREACH’

The nature of the Karachi bombing has angered Beijing, which is now pushing harder to achieve a long standing demand to control security arrangements for its citizens.
A pick-up truck rigged with nearly 100 kg (220 lbs) of explosives waited unchecked for about 40 minutes near the outermost security cordon of the heavily guarded airport before its driver rammed it into a vehicle carrying Chinese engineers, officials said.
“It was a grave security breach,” admitted one of the officials investigating the bombing, which came just a week before Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Islamabad, the first such trip in a decade.
The official said investigators believe the attackers had “inside help” in securing details of the itinerary and route of the engineers, who had returned from a month off in Thailand.
They were to be escorted back to a power plant set up as part of plans for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Longtime Pakistan ally China has thousands of nationals working on projects grouped under the CPEC, a $65-billion investment in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China’s global reach by road, rail and sea.

’CHINESE FRUSTRATIONS’

Publicly China has mostly backed Pakistan’s arrangements, even as it calls for enhanced security.
Privately, Beijing has expressed frustration. At one recent meeting, the Chinese side provided evidence that Pakistan had failed to follow security protocols agreed on twice in recent months, three officials said.
Such protocols usually feature high standards for deployment and movement of Chinese officials.
Chinese nationals have been in the crosshairs of separatist militants who see Beijing as helping Pakistan exploit minerals in the underdeveloped southwestern province of Balochistan, where China has a strategic port and mining interests.
Thousands of Pakistani security officers from the army, police and a dedicated force called the Special Protection Unit are posted to guard Chinese nationals.
Only China’s embassy in Islamabad and its consulates are allowed Chinese official security personnel, the Pakistani officials said.