MANSEHRA (Kashmir English): The remains of a five-year-old boy who went missing during the devastating October 8, 2005, earthquake have been recovered nearly 21 years later in Balakot, Mansehra.
According to the family, Jamal Shafiq was buried beneath the rubble when their house collapsed during the powerful earthquake.
Despite extensive search efforts at the time, his body could not be located, and the family eventually accepted his death and offered funeral prayers in absentia.
Now, surprisingly, the remains were discovered during excavation work for the reconstruction of the family’s house.
The boy’s father said workers first found pieces of clothing before uncovering the remains beneath the debris. The body was then recovered, funeral prayers were offered, and he was laid to rest.
The grieving father said the family had lived with the pain of not finding their son’s body for more than two decades. “After 21 years of sorrow, we have finally found peace by giving our son a proper burial,” he said.
