MULTAN: The guardian of Waseem Abbas, the child who met a tragic death at the hands of contractor Tauqeer Nazir, was taken into confidence before the boy was handed over to the contractor, ARY News reported.
Speaking to ARY News, Shoaib Hyder, head of the orphan center Khudi, stated that Waseem’s paternal uncle was his legal guardian. According to Hyder, the uncle requested that the child be trained to earn a living. Under this request, Waseem was placed with Tauqeer to learn electrician work.
The Khudi chief added that they had not received any prior complaints regarding Tauqeer, as Waseem had been sent to work with him only seven to eight days prior to the incident.
It was also revealed that the center is not registered with the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau Punjab. Addressing this, the organization’s head stated that they have already applied for registration and expect approval soon.
He added that the center is currently registered with the Punjab Charity Commission.
The center presently cares for 150 orphans. The late Waseem Abbas was admitted to the institution in 2021 along with his brother and cousin.
Earlier, a 15-year-old boy, Waseem Abbas, was killed after being hit by a speeding car in a private housing society in Multan. Police have arrested the contractor accused of chasing the teenager in a vehicle.
According to police, the main suspect, Touqeer Nazir, has been arrested, the vehicle taken into custody and a case registered. Further investigation into the incident is underway.
In his initial statement to police, Touqeer Nazir said Waseem had been learning electrical work from him. He claimed the boy would leave work without permission and that he had tried to catch him.
The suspect said he drove the car behind Waseem because he wanted to stop him, according to his initial statement.
Police earlier said the boy had left the job and was chased by the contractor. The suspect allegedly pursued him on foot before following him in a car along with another man, Amjad Ali.
During the chase, the speeding car struck Waseem. He hit the gate of a house and died at the scene, police said.
According to orphanage administrator Jawad Haider, Waseem Abbas was an orphan who lived at an orphanage.
Haider said Waseem had been handed over to Touqeer Nazir to learn electrical work.
The deceased was a resident of Muzaffargarh and was 15 years old.
Police said further investigation into the circumstances surrounding Waseem’s death was ongoing.