A heartbreaking tragedy has shaken Quetta and sparked a nationwide conversation about harassment, abuse of power, and the failure of institutions to protect ordinary citizens.
Muhammad Asif, son of Musa Khan and an employee of the Civil Secretariat, shot dead his wife and four children in Wahdat Colony before taking his own life. Before the incident, he had recorded a video that went viral across Pakistan.
In the video, Asif accused two senior officers of the Balochistan Secretariat of putting pressure on him and threatening him to vacate the government-allotted house where his family had lived for several years. He appealed to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and other senior government officials to take notice of the matter that had pushed him to this extreme step.
The victims were identified as his wife Bibi Zainab and their four children, 14-year-old Huzaifa, 12-year-old Hoorain, six-year-old Alina, and one-and-a-half-year-old Mehrna. The loss of such young lives has devastated communities across the country.
Authorities responded swiftly once the video surfaced. The Balochistan government suspended two officials of the Services and General Administration Department and registered an FIR on charges of murder, abetment of murder, and suicide. The complainant alleged that Muhammad Asif had been subjected to continuous harassment, blackmail, and psychological pressure by the nominated individuals.
Asif had appealed directly to the prime minister and chief minister in his video to watch it and ensure justice. His plea, sadly, came too late.
The tragedy raises concerning questions about why those in power so often fail to hear the cries of ordinary people, until it is too late to save them.
