Jhelum horror: When Papa’s Pari, Rani and Mama’s Gurya were thrown into canal

The children—eight-year-old Fajar Zeeshan, two-and-a-half-year-old Noor Fatima and five-year-old Umar Zeeshan—were reported missing on

JHELUM: Five days after three young siblings disappeared during what was described as an outing with their father, the Jhelum tragedy has left two children dead, another still missing and a trail of questions about domestic violence, substance abuse and the protection of vulnerable children.

The children—eight-year-old Fajar Zeeshan, two-and-a-half-year-old Noor Fatima and five-year-old Umar Zeeshan—were reported missing on September 15. Rescue teams spent five days searching the Upper Jhelum Canal before recovering the bodies of Fajar and Noor. The search for Umar remains underway.

According to police, the children’s father, Raja Zeeshan alias Shani, had taken the siblings out on September 15. His vehicle was later found abandoned in Mughalabad. Police subsequently claimed that Zeeshan confessed to throwing the children into the canal.

The case was registered as FIR No. 287/26 at Mangla Police Station on the complaint of the children’s mother, Ambreen Bibi.

The case took another dramatic turn when Zeeshan was killed in a police encounter near Rathiyan. Police said he was being taken for investigation when alleged accomplices opened fire on the police party in an attempt to free him. According to the police account, Zeeshan was killed during the exchange of fire while the other suspects escaped.

Behind the tragedy lies a history of reported domestic conflict. According to the FIR and information emerging from the investigation, Ambreen had left the marital home months earlier amid allegations of domestic violence and substance abuse. Family elders later intervened and reconciliation reportedly took place after Zeeshan assured them that he would give up drugs.

The subsequent deaths of the children have raised difficult questions about what safeguards were available after the reconciliation. In particular, the case has prompted concerns about whether families facing allegations of domestic violence and substance abuse should receive structured follow-up and child-protection assessments before children are placed back in potentially unsafe circumstances.

For Fajar, Noor and Umar, childhood should have meant school, family gatherings, a mother’s embrace and the ordinary security that children expect from their parents. Instead, a routine family outing ended in one of the most distressing child tragedies to emerge from Jhelum in recent days.

The recovery of two bodies after five days has brought some closure to their families, but Umar remains missing, leaving the search operation unfinished.

The tragedy also demands scrutiny beyond the immediate criminal investigation. The circumstances raise broader questions about how domestic violence, substance abuse and family disputes are identified and monitored, and whether existing child-protection mechanisms intervene early enough when children may be at risk.

The immediate priority remains the recovery of Umar and the completion of the investigation. Beyond that, the case calls for a serious examination of whether reconciliation in families facing allegations of violence can take place without adequate safeguards for children.

Three children entered an outing with their father. Two have been recovered from a canal, one remains missing, and a family is left searching for answers that go far beyond a single criminal case.