LAHORE / BAHAWALNAGAR : Twelve‑year‑old Ali Haider, sent to a Lahore seminary to memorise the Quran, died after suffering brutal injuries that his family says were inflicted by a teacher. What began as a small disciplinary matter spiralled into a sequence of decisions and delays that kept a critically injured child from timely care — and from justice.
What happened
Ali had been at the seminary on Barki Road for about five months. His family says the immediate cause of the attack was missing a Khatm Sharif gathering — a minor lapse that, in this case, was met with extreme violence. According to relatives, the teacher named Qari Ghulam Rasool beat Ali so severely that the boy suffered fractured limbs and serious internal injuries.
Instead of being taken straight to a hospital in Lahore, where doctors would likely have alerted authorities, Ali was kept at the seminary. Later, the suspect placed the injured child on a public bus and sent him back to his native village, Kot Langah, in Bahawalnagar — a 250‑kilometre journey that family members say worsened his condition.
How the response failed him
- Delayed medical attention: The seminary’s decision to withhold immediate hospital care appears to have been an attempt to avoid scrutiny. That delay cost precious time when every hour mattered.
- A dangerous transfer: Sending a severely injured child on a long bus ride instead of arranging urgent medical transport compounded his injuries.
- Late reporting: When Ali reached Kot Langah, his family rushed him to the District Headquarters Hospital in Bahawalnagar. Their focus was on saving him; they did not involve police while he fought for his life. Only after Ali died did the family call the Police Helpline 15.
Legal steps taken
Following the family’s report after Ali’s death:
- Barki police traveled to Bahawalnagar and halted the burial to ensure a post‑mortem could be conducted.
- An FIR for murder has been registered at Barki Police Station, Lahore, on the complaint of the child’s uncle.
- Police say multiple teams are searching for Qari Ghulam Rasool, who is reported to have fled. The autopsy will be central to the prosecution’s case.
Family, community and the wider outrage
Ali’s father says he sent his son to Lahore hoping for a better spiritual education; he never imagined his child would return in a coffin. The boy’s death has ignited local anger and grief. Activists, parents and community leaders are demanding more than one arrest: they want state oversight of religious seminaries, mandatory child‑protection training for staff, and strict enforcement of bans on corporal punishment.
Ibn-e-Faiz
