Parents pay tribute after double tragedy

“I WILL pray that the long journey ahead will ease for you.”

This was the poignant message written by a Huddersfield schoolboy killed in a crash in Pakistan in a birthday card to his father which wasn’t opened until after the tragedy.

Zamam Tariq, 13, died with brother Mohammed Ali Tariq, nine, after the car they were travelling in burst a tyre and crashed into a tree on a family trip during Eid last month.

Their brother Zuhran, 10, also suffered serious internal injuries in the crash, as their parents and sister followed in a separate car just two miles behind, arriving at the scene just minutes after the vehicle spun out of control on their journey between Lahore and Kamalia.

The family, from Crosland Moor, spoke of their agony on Saturday after a memorial service attended by friends and family from all over the world.

Paying tribute to the boys, who both attended Huddersfield Grammar School in Marsh, parents Tariq and Aysha described them as “delightful”, “hard-working” and “always together”.

Talented pupil Zamam had dreams of becoming a lawyer like his father and “researching medicine for brain diseases”, mum Aysha, 38, said.

“He loved chemistry and was very into his football. He was a big Arsenal fan and played in the school football team. Zamam was very popular and well-behaved.”

Mohammed Ali, known as Ali, was described by his mother as “full of life” and interested in a career as a mathematician.

Weeks before the tragedy, elder brother Zamam had written a birthday card for his father, who was away on business in Pakistan, to say: “My dad, my inspiration, my life.

“You have worked so hard for us - sacrificed so much.

“The country you left was the one you loved. That is the definition of the world’s best father.”

Zamam also wrote: “I will pray to God that the tough journey ahead will ease for you.”

The line takes on a whole new meaning for the family, who now face life without the two boys.

Tariq, 45, said: “I’m not sure what he meant by it, but it was incredibly emotional for me to open the card after what happened.”

Zamam’s twin sister Hareem called her brothers “delightful to have around”, while Zuhran, who has since recovered from the crash on June 18, said: “The hardest thing is I always had my two brothers. I had one to look up to and one looking up to me. I found that very hard to cope with when I recovered and found out they had both passed away.

“I’m feeling very lonely because I would always play with them.”

Around 200 people attended the service at the family’s home on Ivy Street on Saturday afternoon, with mourners coming from as far as Toronto and Tokyo.

It followed a formal service last month in Pakistan, which the family said was attended by 1,000 people.