20 years on, father on death bed waits for his 'untraceable' sons

Abdul Ahad Rah (84), and his wife Khadija are waiting for their two untraceable children for the past two decades. This elderly couple who are ailing from multiple diseases hopes to see their sons before death takes over.

Srinagar (J&K): Abdul Ahad Rah (84) and his wife Khadija are waiting for their two untraceable children for the past two decades. This elderly couple who are ailing from multiple diseases hopes to see their sons before death takes over.

Rah's two sons — Muhammad Shafi Rah (30) and Mushtaq Ahmad Rah (25) — worked in a tannery in Nepal. They had left Srinagar in 1995, in search of employment in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, so that they could lead a better life. However, their dreams never turned true.

On September 5, 2000, after the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane (IC-814), the Delhi Police, along with Interpol, conducted raids in Nepal and arrested several Kashmiri businessmen including Rah's two sons. Later, several of them were released, but the two brothers are still untraced even after 20 years.

"When I got the news of my sons' arrest, I immediately went to Nepal, where I found out that they had been shifted to Jodhpur Jail. Then I went to Jodhpur with my brother," said Rah, a resident of the Maharajganj area of ​​Srinagar.

"At first, prison authorities admitted that my sons were in the same jail and I was asked to bring an affidavit from Srinagar. I did the same," he added.

He further said, "When I went back to Jodhpur Jail after getting all the documents, the jail authorities did not allow me to meet my children. They said that they have been instructed by the Srinagar administration not to allow any visitors."

"In Jodhpur, the CID also threatened us. They said that there was news of an attack on the Jodhpur jail, so go back, otherwise, we would have arrested you on the same charges," Rah said, adding, "We were scared and came back."

Rah says he knocked on everyone's door for justice but nothing happened and my sons remain "untraceable".

"Tell me what is the fault of my children, allow me to meet them once. I am ailing from multiple diseases. I have met everyone but none have any information about my children. I got only promises and nothing else. What is their fault? I just want justice. I want to see my children one last time before I die. I spent all my money looking for Shafi and Mushtaq. This house is the only thing left, I'll sell it too. Just tell me something about them. I want justice," Rah says.

Rah claims that most of the others arrested have been released, but they do not want to give any information about their sons, "maybe there is some pressure on them."

"Our house was once raided by the police and my husband was detained in Cargo for five days. He was interrogated a lot. Nothing happened after that," said Khadija, wife of Rah.

"I have two more sons who are running the house at the moment. My husband has been bedridden for the last two years. He has heart, kidney and joint pains. I am not well either," she said.