While government reports assert a boost in public safety over the past years, one Pakistani journalist, Nazo Shinwari is in hiding, trying to survive the assailants that killed her parents.
Nazo, along with her brother Shershah, have been in hiding and begging authorities to take action but to no avail. The siblings are even aware of who the culprits are. Their step-brothers and uncle are behind this.
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The Case of Nazo Shinwari
Their tragedy started when someone came to their door on March, 28th. When their father Mobeen Khan answered the door, he was shot and killed. The murderers fled the scene but that was not the end of it.
Soon after a fake FIR was launched against their mother, Sumaira Safdar in Peshawar. This left her no choice but to go to Peshawar to appear in court. That’s when she too was shot and killed along with the driver. Then the brother Shershah was almost killed at a police station.
Nazo Shinwari penned a letter to the Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari soon afterward.
someone anyone who can publicize this i need your help. My step brothers and uncles family killed my parents plz help. Now theyre after me and my brother please save us. Pakistani govt needs to help us our lives are in danger @ImranKhanPTI @nighatdad @IndianFeminism @nytimes pic.twitter.com/mNcyHHvP9w
— Nazo Shinwari (@nazoshinwari) August 30, 2019
Nazo’s mother had also penned many letters to authorities from the SHO to as far up as the Prime Minister following the murder of Mobeen Khan. Sumaira was openly threatened by her step-sons and brother-in-law that she too would be killed like her husband.
While Nazo’s plea on Twitter did garner a whole lot of attention from public figures, the authorities are yet to take action.
This is an FII writer from Pakistan. If any Pakistani civil society org or someone in the government can help, please do get in touch with @nazoshinwari. https://t.co/oHfWm5M5zx
— Feminism in India (@FeminismInIndia) August 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1167489936397873152
Dear @ShireenMazari1. Plz c this. https://t.co/4CAY9HgX2o
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) August 31, 2019
Appeal for help!!! @nazoshinwari appeals to authorities to save her and her brother from her uncles and step brother who have already murdered both her parents. She is hiding in her own country while the killers roam free on bail – Part 1 @ShireenMazari1 @ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/rc9v2f9qEE
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) September 1, 2019
Part 2 of Appeal by @nazoshinwari. She hiding fearing for her life as both her parents were killed by her relatives over property @ShireenMazari1 @ImranKhanPTI @Xadeejournalist @shazbkhanzdaGEO @GFarooqi @asmashirazi pic.twitter.com/oHc3f4VfNr
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) September 1, 2019
Soon afterward she was invited to Mubasher Lucman’s television show to narrate her story.
The case of @nazoshinwari’s parents killed mercilessly by her stepbrothers & uncles for property reeks of how powerful & wealthy get away with any crime in Pakistan. They’re again out on bail; govt MUST take action to safeguard Nazo & Sher’s life https://t.co/T3irZ2dzN0
— Usama Khilji (@UsamaKhilji) August 30, 2019
A Family Feud
The problem here was that Sumaira Safdar was Mobeen Khan’s second wife. To add to that, he had given her property as her Haq Mehr. Signing over property to a woman did not sit well with Nazo’s step-brothers and uncle.
Although they had received their fair share, they wanted Sumaira Safdar’s property as well.
Coming back to Nazo’s appeal, the Rawalpindi police reached out to help her, but she and her brother are still in hiding and trust no one.
The @RwpPolice is helping me and the CPO has reached out to me. Pray they succeed in giving me justice. But i still need this to go all the way to the top because these goons dont even respect the law or police.
I am still in hiding and they are still roaming free on bail.
— Nazo Shinwari (@nazoshinwari) September 2, 2019
Matters should’ve improved at this point but apparently, they got worse. The FIR registered in her parents’ case did not even name the murderers.
Human rights activist and lawyer Hassan Niazi named the people responsible for murdering Nazo’s family members.
These men killed mother & father of @nazoshinwari -father killed in Pindi and FIR registered without naming these goons.Then later same guys killed the mother in Peshawar after 4 months after she was coming out of court. Mother had fake FIR by kpk police to trap her #LetsSaveNazo pic.twitter.com/DvcEwaLvu6
— Hassaan Niazi (@HniaziISF) September 1, 2019
To add to that the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa police were in cahoots with the murderers and facilitated them in the murder of Nazo’s mother.
I just went through Nazo Shinwari Case. @KP_Police1 knew that mother will be murdered.They knew the FIR against her mother was fake and she was named so they could kill her while going to or from court.This naya kpk Police is becoming embarrassment. It’s high time CM takes notice
— Hassaan Niazi (@HniaziISF) September 3, 2019
Soon after the TV interview was aired, Mubasher Lucman also began receiving threats. The murderers are believed to be powerful enough to take down a famed journalist.
The killers just threathened 1 of my friends who was helping me that “if he keeps helping me he will meet the same fate as nazo” they also told him they know where he works.
They also tried to scare @mubasherlucman away@peaceforchange @RwpPolice @KP_Police1 @OfficialDGISPR pic.twitter.com/uyrznfASpu
— Nazo Shinwari (@nazoshinwari) September 4, 2019
Waqar Zaka predicted that Nazo Shinwari will not make it out of this alive. Nazo has expressed this fear numerous times, stating she will die just like her parents and the murderers will get away with all this.
I know you don’t have time to help others so I made a short video explaining why @nazoshinwari will be killed in few days. Detail story on this link https://t.co/88W6V8JlPO @ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/nJ8cCIlD0J
— Waqar Zaka (@ZakaWaqar) September 3, 2019
That wouldn’t be a new occurrence as Nazo Shinwari’s step-brothers and uncle are politically affluent. If God forbid, Nazo is killed, it will just be another case like the murder of Fahad Shinwari, Afzal Kohistani.
https://twitter.com/thecentrummedia/status/1169161681160871936
We hope the authorities are doing something about this, because right now it seems nothing of that sort has been happening. This isn’t really the Naya Pakistan that people voted for.
