‘I am proud to be the widow of a Shaheed’

The family of martyred police constable Amir Khan is proud of him as he helped successfully thwart the terrorist attack on the Chinese consulate on Friday and fought the terrorists till his last breath.

The young constable is not the only member of his family who sacrificed his life fighting enemies of Pakistan as two of his family members also laid down their lives earlier for the country.

“A Shaheed never dies,” said Amir’s widow without any tears in her eyes while she was sitting beside the body of her husband on Friday. “Why the people are expecting me to have tears in my eyes. I am proud to be the widow of a Shaheed.”

The courageous wife also did not hesitate to announce that she was ready to sacrifice her minor son’s life for the country. “I hope my son also joins the police force to serve the nation and sacrifices his life for the country,” she said, adding that in such a case she would be twice as proud for being a mother of another Shaheed after being the widow of one. The wife belongs to a family of martyrs as before Amir’s martyrdom, his brother and nephew had laid down their lives in the line of duty during a terrorist attack at the residence of SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan in 2011.

The breaking news about the martyrdoms of two cops in the consulate attack made the family anxious for Amir. “We attempted to contact him [Amir] a number of times but he did not respond,” said his brother Ajab Khan. “Finally, we found his body at the hospital.”

The deceased was a resident of Neelum Colony in Clifton who left his house for the last time on Friday at 7:30 am to report for duty near the consulate. He has left a widow, a daughter and a two-month-old son behind him.

ASI Ashraf Daud, the other policeman who sacrificed his life while foiling the attempted terrorist attack on the Chinese consulate, has left a widow and three children behind. He was an inhabitant of Lyari and had been posted at the same check-post outside the Chinese consulate where Amir was deployed.

The funeral prayers for both the martyrs were offered at Police Headquarters, Garden and were attended by the Sindh governor and chief minister among others. Sindh Inspector General (IG) of Police Dr. Kaleem Imam announced “Tamgha-e-Shujat” for the martyred cops while the CM directed the police to look after their families.

The IG also visited the families of the two martyrs on Saturday and showered praise on them for their sacrifices.

“The quick response of the martyred cops against the attackers, boosted the morale of the police,” the police chief maintained, declaring that “Shaheed are our pride and their sacrifices for the nation are unforgettable”.