As Ihtisham’s Body Is Buried In Pakistan, His Family Still Wonder What Happened To Their Son In Malta
The body of Ihtisham, the 25-year-old Pakistani man who died in a prison cell in Corradino Correctional Facilities, has been repatriated to Pakistan, and buried.
Ihtisham’s death, officially due to an undiagnosed heart condition, occurred in the middle of the night, and just weeks before he was set to be released and return home to his family on Christmas day.
He had been imprisoned over his use of false documents, which made things harder for authorities when it came to verifying his next of kin and confirming who to contact to communicate his death. When they tried to contact the prison to confirm their son’s death, they were unable to prove that they were his family, only aggravating the emotional situation.
However, since his death, the the local Pakistani and Arab community, particularly in Bugibba, have come together and raised thousands to help cover the €4,000 cost to repatriate his body back home. They’ve also raised more money to be donated to the family.
However, his family remain confused and shocked over the death of their seemingly healthy son in Malta, with one person intimate with the family telling Lovin Malta: “they still don’t really know what happened”.
“Ihtisham’s body has been repatriated, and we now await the results of the inquiry,” Dr Jacques Grima, who is in contact with the family, told Lovin Malta.
“We will try and get access to it for the family; however this remains within the court’s discretion,” he said.
Calls for a public inquiry into prison conditions after this death, which is the fourth death in Corradino Correctional Facility this year, were shot down by the Home Affairs Minister.
A magisterial inquiry has been set up to investigate whether something else may have led to Ihtisham’s death.
While the autopsy was completed within days, these types of inquiries often take years to complete – meaning it could be a very long time before Ihtisham’s family get any closure from Maltese authorities.
What do you make of Ihtisham’s sudden death?
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