Islamo-phobic violence comes up once again in Ontario, London. A truck driver target-killed four Pakistani origin members of the Afzaal family. Pakistan condemns the horrific act and considers it as premeditated terrorism. Further, the Canadian government was also saddened at the brutal killing. Politicians from Pakistan and Canada condemned the heinous act of violence. They are calling the attack on Canadian Muslim family as terrorism.
What happened with the Afzaal family?
Afzaal family was out for a walk on 6th June, Sunday at 8:30 pm. They were five family members who had migrated to Canada 14 years ago. The members are listed below:
- Salman Afzaal, 46 years old
- Madiha Salman, 44 years old
- Yumnah Afzaal, 15 years old
- Afzaal’s mother, 74 years old
- Fayez Afzaal, 9 years old
The family was together strolling on the roads of Ontario when they saw a pickup truck approaching. The driver slammed into and tried to target-kill the family. Four of them died at the spot. However, only Fayez Afzal, the youngest of all five survived the attack.
According to Canadian police, the Afzaal family was killed in a hit-and-run incident. Further, they became victims of Islamophobia. The police official letter told that they were targeted for being Muslims. The police arrested a 20 years old suspect, seven km away in a mall. Further, he was noticed wearing a vest “like body armor”. The suspect had turned tail after the attack.
Remarks of PM Imran Khan regarding attack on Canadian Muslim family.
Prime minister Imran Khan strongly condemned this heinous act of brutality. PM Khan highlighted the increase in Western terrorism. Further, he also talked about the growing Islamophobia in the Western World.
In the National Assembly of Pakistan, all members expressed grief at happening. Moreover, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made a statement,
PM, FM ask global community to curb rising trend of Islamophobia
FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi
The FM further mentioned the New Zealand mosque attack along with the blasphemous sketches in Europe. He also mentioned such activities in France and Netherlands. Further, he called the Islamic countries worldwide to aid Pakistan in challenging Islamophobia.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister added that the murder was a “test case for the Canadian government and society. The Canadian government must protect the rights and lives of Muslims. He tweeted,
Justin Trudeau denounces the brutal attack on Muslim family
The brutal attack on the Muslim family has Canada in shock. The PM, Justin Trudeau also mentioned the act as “terrorism”. On Tuesday, speaking in the House of Commons, he considered the attack as a brazen act of violence. He tweeted,
Ontario Premier, Doug Ford also condemned this act of violence.
The Canadian Government supported the relatives of the family. They also offered transportation of the bodies. However, the burial was to take place in Canada. In conclusion, the incident clearly shows the growing Islamophobia. Politicians from Pakistan stressed that it needs to stop now. The country seriously condemned the attack on Canadian Muslim family. The above tweets show the clear political stance of Pakistan.
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