Legacy Scandal: '˜My East End community never recovered from the Docklands bomb that killed my brother', says Ishan Bashir
In the latest contribution to our series on the imbalance, ISHAN BASHIR writes about the impact of the 1996 IRA Canary Wharf bomb which broke the 1994 ceasefire (see beneath it for link to the rest of the series):
We would like to inform you of our total disgust with the government’s present consultation.
It has been attempting to address the legacy of the Troubles that emerged from Northern Ireland and impacted those in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
I lost my dear brother Inam, along with our close family friend John Jeffries, in the IRA attack in London’s Docklands, East London on the 9th of February 1996.
This appalling attacked left over 100 innocent people injured and 42 of them suffered life changing injuries.
My father died within five months of Inam’s death due to a broken heart as he could not accept the loss of his son.
We as a family and my community in the East End of London have never recovered from Inam and John’s murder that terrible night.
My mother died nine months ago and had for the last 21 years of her life campaigned to ensure all victims of terrorism are treated equally.
She had more courage than successive UK governments who refused to hold Col Gaddafi to account for his support for IRA terrorism.
We are very distressed to learn that it appears that there are proposals by the government to give pensions to those perpetrators who carried out IRA terrorism.
In addition, these pensions would be denied to innocent victims in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland who are severely disabled and can only been given to those in Northern Ireland.
This is absolutely appalling as all innocent victims of the Troubles who are severely disabled must be acknowledged and are equal.
Terrorism has brought and still continues to bring appalling suffering to humanity in such attacks as 7/7, Manchester and Westminster Bridge etc.
Therefore, I feel this proposed terrorist victim’s pension could encourage terrorism as this may indirectly endorse terrorism.
• This was written by Ishan Bashir on behalf of his family. Inam was a shop owner and John Jeffries his employee. The Canary Wharf bomb broke the 1994 IRA ceasefire