A PAKISTANI father of three has described the joy that his collection of 5,000 model cars brings him.
Aamir Ashfaq, 49, from Lahore, got his first toy car aged eight. Today his hobby is housed in his study, and it includes model cars, from Bugatti to Suzuki.
“When I hold a car in the palm of my hand, I remember things I had forgotten about, and this gives me immense joy. I can’t explain it in words,” he told Pakistan Weekly.
“Memories may fade with time, but these cars take me back to moments in the past.”
The father of three said his love for the toy cars has not diminished with age. He does not feel odd indulging this pastime, although he admitted it looked “childish”.
His prized collection in his 12x14 square foot room includes scaled models of most of the beautiful “rolling masterpieces” on the planet.
Among his toy cars are those of Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Bugatti, Bentley and Rolls Royce.
American vehicles have a special appeal for him and models of Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Pontiac, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Jeep are prominently displayed in the room.
“My pursuit may not have gone far enough to earn a world record, but such a collection is still unique in Pakistan”, he said.
Ashfaq is grateful to his parents for indulging him when he asked for a toy car as a young boy.
“I remembered my childhood days. Whenever I went to a mart, first I would pick up a toy car and look towards my parents who never disappointed me”.
Most of the toys, which he described as a “treasure”, are gifted to him. His aunts and cousins settled in England, Canada and the US also presented him with some of the premium scaled models which are not available in Pakistan.
“This kind of treasure takes decades to build, hours and hours of care, but if you have the passion then all that hard work brings pleasure and always keeps a smile of satisfaction on your face” Ashfaq said.
His three daughters also share his love of toy cars. They preferred toy cars to dolls and kitchen sets while they were growing up, he said.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)