The heartbroken son of a former well-respected Bahrain resident has spoken of his anguish following the death of his father in a bomb blast in his home country of Pakistan.
Family and friends described Sahar Ali, 65, a former employee of Bahrain’s Jaffari Awqaf (Endowment) Directorate, as a peaceful, loving and hardworking man and a much-loved ‘baba’ (dad).
He was among more than 55 people horrifically killed and around 190 injured after attending Friday morning prayers when a bomb exploded in Peshawar, a northwestern city.
“I talk to my father every couple of days, and I don’t think there was ever a time when he didn’t talk about peace and the need to live in harmony,” said his son Wasim Ali, a caretaker at the Shaikh Maithem Mosque in Umm Al Hassam.
Mr Ali’s son Wasim Ali
“He always believed in living in unity and peace – he insisted on it in our family – and it breaks my heart to think that he died in this manner.”
Doctors at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital tried desperately to save Mr Ali Sr’s life, delicately removing shrapnel fragments from his body, but their valiant efforts were in vain as his injuries were too extensive.
He had worked as a caretaker in various mosques throughout Bahrain for more than 30 years before retiring and returning to Pakistan in 2017. He last worked at the Shaikh Muhammad Abu Rummaneh mosque in Demistan and was proud to have his devoted son follow in his footsteps.
“I joined my father when I was 22 years old in 2008, and we were both here until 2017 when he retired,” said Mr Ali Jr. “He was a gentle and very loving person – a father, brother, grandfather and an elder in our family – who will be terribly missed.
“The entire family is in shock because his death was so unexpected – he was healthy and, as usual, went to the mosque for Juma (Morning Prayer). He did not return – we are all shattered.
“According to my brothers, baba was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance after being severely injured with bomb fragments piercing his body.
“He suffered a broken left leg, and while in the hospital, as the metal pieces were being removed, he began to bleed uncontrollably and died. He was buried on the same day.”
The 36-year-old expressed his despair over terrorist activities, emphasising the high cost borne by families. “Look at this incident – how many innocent children and the elderly have to be killed? We need peace across the world.”
Residents in Demistan, where Mr Ali spent the majority of his time in Bahrain during the last 15 years, remembered him as a very kind and hardworking gentleman.
“I shared the same room with him for about three years,” said Shaikh Muhammad Abu Rummaneh Mosque caretaker Mohammed Iqbal, a fellow Pakistani.
“Then he retired. He was 60 and it was time to return home. He was kind and always willing to offer help and support. When I moved to Bahrain for the first time, he assisted me in settling in.
“It is sad that he died in such an horrific manner.”
An elderly woman worshipper, who asked not to be named, also expressed her grief to the GDN, recalling how he always seemed to be cleaning the mosque. “I cannot recall ever seeing him sit idle,” she said, “He was always cleaning the worship area, watering plants, or dusting the surroundings ... and always with a smile on his face.”
His wife, three other sons, two daughters, and four grandchildren all live in Kohat, Pakistan.
Thirty-seven people remain hospitalised following the incident, with five in critical condition, according to Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for Peshawar’s largest hospital, Lady Reading.
Investigators are treating the bombing as a suspected militant group suicide attack. A witness told reporters that he spotted a man firing a gun at two policemen before entering the mosque and an explosion followed.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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