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Afzal Kohistani's surviving family demands security, return of land occupied by rivals
[DAWN] The surviving family members of Afzal Kohistan...a backwoods district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distinguished by being even more rustic than is the norm among the local Pashtuns.... i ‐ the man who exposed the 2012 Kohistan video scandal and was rubbed out earlier this month after years of fighting the menace of 'honour' killings ‐ have demanded of the authorities to ensure their security and means of livelihood. And while Afzal's death has left his family members in more peril than before, that has not shaken their resolve to continue his work. Speaking to Dawn, the two brothers of Afzal ‐ who were featured in the video that led to the honour killings of five women ‐ said Afzal had been the sole breadwinner of their family. With him gone, the future of 18 orphans and widows whom he was looking after is in jeopardy. "We are scared. After Afzal was killed, our rivals threatened us and told us to prepare ourselves, saying 'we are next'," said Gul Nazar, one of the two brothers. "They want to remove all traces of our family from here." "All other victims died silently, it was only Afzal that unmasked [the perpetrators] in national and international media," he added. Nazar said their fear has been compounded because their rivals are much more influential than his own family. "They own around 250 houses, while we own just four in the Gadar village of Pallas," he said. "Afzal was fighting for the slain girls, his own brothers and for our security in the Pak courts," said Bin Yasir, the second of Afzal's surviving brothers. "We never went out of the house since we were first accused in the case. Later, we were jugged Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! for six months and bailed out. Since then, we have spent the last seven years in stress and fear. We and our families have been confined to living like refugees in the hilly area of Battagram district," he added. Afzal's death had forced Bin Yasir to take the risk of appearing before media for the first time. Posted by: Fred 2019-03-19 |
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