Bajaur: The bodies of two brothers and their cousin from Warbli village in Salarzai tehsil, Bajaur, who were killed in a tragic incident in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following a minor verbal dispute, have been brought back to their native area. Their funeral prayers were offered on Saturday.

The arrival of three bodies together in their ancestral village plunged the entire area into mourning, with grief-stricken residents expressing deep sorrow.

The deceased have been identified as Ahmad Gul, Muhammad Khan and Saddam Hussain.

According to the families, all three were living in Saudi Arabia for work and shared the same accommodation, commonly known as a hujra. Among migrant workers, a hujra is generally a place where people from the same area or community live together and spend their nights after work.

The families said the dispute began with an argument involving a man who had come as a guest to the victims’ hujra. The man reportedly had an earlier financial dispute with another party. When he left the hujra, the suspects allegedly stopped him and began arguing with and assaulting him.

According to the family, Muhammad Khan intervened and told them that the man was their guest and that it was inappropriate to mistreat him in front of the hujra. This led to a physical altercation between the two sides.

The victims’ uncle said that Saddam Hussain arrived during the incident and intervened after seeing his cousin Muhammad Khan injured. However, he was allegedly attacked with a knife and died after sustaining a stab wound to the neck.

The family said Muhammad Khan was then repeatedly stabbed with a knife and killed. When Ahmad Gul saw his brother lying in a pool of blood, he rushed to the scene but was also attacked and killed after being stabbed in the chest.

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Thus, within a matter of moments, a minor dispute resulted in the deaths of two brothers and their cousin from the same family.

According to the victims’ uncle, the nominated suspects fled the scene after the incident, following which local police were informed. The family claims that there are five nominated suspects, three of whom allegedly carried knives while two others restrained the victims.

People from the same village, but a deadly dispute in a foreign land:

According to the family, both sides belong to the same village in Bajaur and knew each other beforehand. The victims’ father said that he had previously helped members of the other family with accommodation and employment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, making the incident even more painful for him.

The victims’ father, Saad Gul, said Saddam Hussain had been in Saudi Arabia for only 15 days. He had travelled abroad in search of employment, but his body was returned home just days later.

He said the deaths of his two sons and nephew had plunged him into the most difficult period of his life.

Saad Gul said some family members and local residents had suggested demolishing the homes of the suspects, but he did not want to push anyone else into another dispute. He called on Saudi law enforcement authorities to arrest the nominated suspects and punish them according to the law.

Three Funerals, One Cemetery and an Entire Community in Mourning: 

When the bodies arrived from Saudi Arabia in Islamabad and were then transported to Warbli village in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur, the grieving families were joined by the entire community in mourning.

The funeral prayers for all three deceased were offered at the village cemetery on Saturday afternoon after Asr prayers, with a large number of local residents attending.

The families of these young men, who had travelled thousands of miles from home in search of employment, are now receiving the bodies of their loved ones instead of welcoming them back home.

The affected families and local residents are awaiting justice. However, the actual circumstances of the incident, determination of those responsible and the final outcome of legal proceedings will only become clear after the investigation and judicial process by the relevant Saudi authorities.