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Aseem Chhabra in New Jersey
Waquar Hasan, a 46-year-old Pakistani citizen, became the second South Asian to be killed in what appear to be hate crimes in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Hasan was killed on Saturday, September 16, in his store, Mom's Grocery, in downtown Dallas, Texas. The same day Balbir Singh, a 52-year-old Sikh, was killed at a gas station in Mesa, Arizona.
Numerous incidents of attacks on Muslim, Hindu and Sikh places of worship and individuals of Arab or South Asian descent have also been reported across North America.
A married man with four daughters ranging in age from 10 to 17, Hasan also owned two Exxon gas stations in North Brunswick and Middletown, both in New Jersey, his brother-in-law Zahid Ghani said.
On Saturday night Hasan was alone at his store, which also has a cheque-encashing facility, Ghani said. At 2215 Central time, two women arrived at the store and found Hasan lying in a pool of blood. According to the police autopsy report, the first shot on him had been fired at 2205, Ghani added.
Ghani said the police did not see any evidence of robbery at the store, leading them to believe that the killing is hate-related. The case has been forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Hasan came to the United States from Karachi in 1990 on an L1 visa, which he extended once. He had a green-card application pending before the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.
"He was the petitioner for himself and his family," Ghani said. "Under the law if the petitioner dies, then the case is closed. So after this tragic incident, his family will have to run around with attorneys to figure out their legal status."
Ghani described Hasan as a soft-spoken and "goofy" character. "In ten years he never could follow directions to go to JFK [airport] from New Jersey," Ghani said of his brother-in-law. "He did not know where Washington, DC, was. He was simply interested in his family and business. He did not care about what was going on in the world."
Hasan moved to Dallas in March 2001 to invest in some other businesses. His family, still based in Middletown, New Jersey, was to have followed him in December.
Hasan also leaves behind his mother, who arrived in the US six months ago, and two brothers in Karachi.
Police released his body to his friends on Sunday. It is likely to be flown to the East Coast on Monday. Following a namaaz-e-janaaza [funeral prayer] at the Islamic Centre in South Brunswick, Hasan will be buried at the Muslim cemetery on Route 130.
EARLIER REPORTS: Hindus, Jains bewildered at attacks on community in US, Canada Sikh immigrant shot dead in Mesa, Arizona Indian embassy condemns attacks on Sikhs 'Take that f****** turban off, you terrorist' Sikhs become targets of ire in New York Threats, snide remarks worsen the pain of Bay Area Muslims
The Attack on America: The Complete Coverage
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