Sajjad Karim’s friends in frantic search for news from India

9:13am Thursday 27th November 2008

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SAJJAD Karim’s friends in Lancashire were praying for his safety last night.

George Askew, Conservative councillor for Boulsworth in Pendle, said Mr Karim had contacted friends at 7pm to say he was okay.

At the time, the Pendle Conservative Association was staging a meeting.

Coun Askew was with Andrew Stephenson, the Conservatives’ prospective parliamentary candidate, and Tony Beckett, leader of Pendle Conservative Group, when the message came through as they frantically searched for news on the internet.

Coun Askew said: “A friend of Sajjad’s who lives next door to the office came in for news and while we were talking he received a text message from Sajjad saying he was safe and well.

“There were no other details but we were very glad to hear something positive. We were very worried and still are to an extent.”

Mr Stephenson said it was ‘incredibly scary’ to think what happened to Mr Karim.

He said: “He has so many links in the community that there will be many others waiting to hear news of him.”

Salim Mulla, senior vice-chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said thousands of people in Lancashire’s Indian community would be ‘shocked and appalled’.

He said: “I know Sajjad and it is such a terrible thing.

"I hope he will be safe, as I hope for the safety of everyone affected by these terrible attacks.

“I think it is a disgrace that someone can do such a thing to this community.

"People are living their normal lives in India, some of them are very poor and have difficult lives.

“There will be many people in the Indian community who have friends and relatives who either live there or who are visiting Mumbai.

"There will be so many families on the edge of their seats."

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