July 3, 2020
Peshawar Bureau Report
PESHAWAR
Since June 29th, life has fallen apart for Peshawar’s Christian woman Shaheen Joesph. She has been widowed at just 32 years after her husband Nadeem Joesph succumbed to bullet wounds after battling life and death for 25 days.
According to Shaheen, they rented a house in a Muslim majority area of TV colony in mid-May and they had a plan to buy this house as it fulfills all of their needs. “But some residents of the areas did not want a Christian family as their neighbors, so they resorted to teasing Joseph and all of us through different means but we ignored them,” she said.
On June 4, a young man named Salman Khan allegedly opened fire on Nadeem, his mother, and his brother, injuring all three of them. Nadeem passed away on June 29 but his mother and brother were still being treated.
Sharing the horrific detail of the incident with Voicepk.net, Shaheen said that the accused fired multiple times and when Joseph felt down, they dragged him on the street.
Shaheen believed that his husband was killed just because of his fate and demanded justice for her family.
“From where I can get justice? My husband, my breadwinner has gone. Can they bring him back, Shaheen questioned in a sobbing voice. “He provides us the livelihood, I do not do any job,” she added.
On the other hand, the accused Khan said that the victim’s family is falsely portraying the issue as a religious one. He said that he did not fire on Nadeem because of his religion.
According to Khan, he had a quarrel with Nadeem on the issue of over speeding.
“Nadeem’s son used to drive the motorcycle at very high speed in the colony. I asked him not to do over speeding many times. One day we had a quarrel with Nadeem’s family and I shot them”, he said.
When voicepk.net contacted the police about the investigation of the matter, the investigating officer Saif ur Rehman said that the two brothers, Salman Khan and Suleman Khan are suspected in the case and they have surrendered before the court and were currently on the bail.
He also said that earlier the Police registered the case under section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code but after the death of Nadeem, they have also inserted section 302 (clause for murder) in the FIR.
Minorities’ rights organizations have vehemently condemned the murder and asked for a complete and impartial probe into the matter.
According to a minority rights leader Radiesh Toni, the present government has disappointed the minorities.
“Problems of the minorities are on the rise but the current government has not done any legislation to provide security to the minorities. The entire situation is very worrisome’, he said.
