The case of Saudi Gazette staff member Sabahat Siddiqui, who was robbed at gunpoint at Karachi airport on March 31, has been taken up by the Pakistani government and the Pakistani Consulate General here has pledged its full assistance. “We are concerned and accountable for the recovery of the things lost by the female journalist. We are trying our best to bring the criminals to justice,” said Zaigham Uddin Azam, Consul General of Pakistan, here Friday. “The Consulate has sent letters to Chief Secretary, Government of Sindh, Fazal-ur-Rehman, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Farooq Sattar, and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior, Rehman Malik, to ask them to take special notice of the unfortunate incident,” he said. The journalist got married on the day the robbery occurred with the thieves taking her wedding jewelry that cost more than SR 5,000. “I was in too much shock to calculate what I actually lost right after it happened. But I now estimate that my total loss is more than SR10,000, as besides my jewelry, I lost two mobile phone sets, my air tickets, and my ID cards as well as those of my brother,” said Siddiqui to Saudi Gazette. “In fact, they took my whole bag leaving me embarrassed and sad on my wedding day. I am sorry to think that this actually happened to me in my own country,” she lamented. The policemen stationed nearby stood as silent spectators while the journalist was being robbed at gunpoint. She was going to North Nazimabad from the airport accompanied by her brother and husband who is her cousin as well. Three robbers approached them in a white Toyota Corolla. One of the robbers carrying a walky-talky stopped them pretending to be an intelligence officer. Earlier reports suggested that Sabahat Siddiqui's mother was also there at the airport when the robbery took place. The First Information Report (FIR) was logged by the female journalist's husband Kamal Ahmed Siddiqui on March 31 with reference No. 235/2009 under section 392/34 at the police station of Shah Faisal Town at Faisal Street, Karachi. Consul General Azam said that Siddiqui is “our daughter and we feel sorry for what happened to her.” “We will raise the issue with Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar who is coming to Jeddah next week,” he added.
