RAWALPINDI — Residents of the Dhok Mangtal area blocked the main road Tuesday, demanding police resume the search for six-year-old Zoya, who vanished four days ago while playing outside her home.
The protest brought traffic to a standstill for hours. Protesters burned tires and chanted slogans against the local police, claiming investigators have essentially abandoned the case. The girl’s father, Muhammad Akram, told reporters that the police response has been sluggish since the day she went missing.
“They tell us to wait, they tell us they are investigating, but our daughter is gone,” Akram said, standing among the crowd. “We aren’t leaving until they show us they are actually doing their jobs.”
The case has gripped the neighborhood, where residents say safety for children has plummeted in recent months. According to local records, this is the third child to go missing in the surrounding union councils this year. While police point to “resource limitations” as a barrier to round-the-clock search operations, families in the area view the suspension of the search as a failure of basic protection.
Police officials reached at the Dhok Mangtal station denied the search was “called off,” instead describing it as a “shift in strategy.” A spokesperson for the Rawalpindi Police claimed they are currently reviewing CCTV footage from nearby commercial plazas, though no suspects have been identified and no leads have been publicly disclosed.
The frustration on the ground, however, suggests a widening gap between official statements and public perception. As the sun set on the fourth day of the search, the blockade remained in place. For the family, the police’s administrative shifts are cold comfort in a house that has been empty since Saturday.
Whether the pressure from the streets will spark a new, more aggressive search effort remains to be seen, but for now, the investigation is at a standstill.
