THE family of a man found dead in the back seat of his car in 1986 have urged police to use updated technology and crack the case.

Father-of-one Parvez Akhtar, also known as Mustaq Hussain or ‘Mushy’, was last seen alive when he left his Mehraan Restaurant in Duckworth Lane, Bradford, to take chefs and waitresses home on January 12, thirty three years ago.

He was the co-owner of the restaurant and was found dead in his Datsun car outside old people’s homes in Fairbank Road, Girlington.

One motive detectives entertained was the theory Akhtar was the victim of a ritualistic killing brought about by a 30-year feud between two families in Pakistan.

Detectives visited the village where the family hailed from and discovered the trouble began in the mid 1950s - five years before Akhtar’s birth - with a dispute between his family and another in the village over a “problem marriage.”

The family, however, believes there was more to the murder than a family row and have called on police to use the latest technology available to them to look again at the case.

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Cllr Arshad Hussain, a Labour councillor for Toller ward, was Mr Akhtar’s brother-in-law and 16-years-old when his relative died.

“I would like to thank the police for the investigation they did," he said.

“As a family we would like them to review the case files and see if these lines of inquiry were the right ones.

“I would also like to request the evidence is reviewed because there is an important difference now to the technology in 1986 to 2019.

"I want them to use this technology and see if anything comes up.

"I know that 33 years is a very long time ago, I would really appreciate the people of this district and beyond to jog their memories. Any information that could help with the investigation would be much appreciated."

“Parvez was an absolutely lovely man,” he added.

“I remember as a kid helping out in the restaurant and he got on with everyone.

“The restaurant closed for a couple of months after he died and when it re-opened there were so many customers coming in absolutely shocked that something like this could have happened to him.

“Many customers were stricken with grief and were shocked by it all.

“In the family he was absolutely brilliant and he was an outgoing and lovely person who really enjoyed life."

Cllr Hussain admits he still feels saddened about the night his brother-in-law died and says he should have been with him when he was dropping the staff off at their homes.

“I remember it quite clearly even though it was a long time ago,” he said.

“On the night this happened I used to help out in the family restaurant and as we were closing up I locked the doors and said to him, ‘Should I come with you to drop the staff off?’

“He said there was no room in the car and I should go home to wait for him.

“When I look back I think one little thing could have made a huge difference.

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“It’s always stuck in my head that had I gone with him maybe things would have been different.”

Mr Akhtar’s only son was three months old when his father died and the family hope the case is solved, not only for him, but to give the rest of the family closure.

“Both of his parents died a couple of years ago but this has always broken them," added Cllr Hussain.

“They both lived in Pakistan but I could tell it really brought them down.

“He was my wife’s brother and it’s not been easy for her.

“She lost her brother and what happened to him has always been on our minds.”

Mr Akhtar left Pakistan in 1976 to come to England, entering the country under the name of Hussain and finding shelter with an Asian family in Halifax.

He later moved to Bradford where he married, had a child and bought a share in the Mehraan restaurant in Duckworth Lane.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “We continue to follow all lines of enquiry from the original investigation and will act on any new information that is received.

“Cases such as this are never closed and anyone with information is encouraged to come forward.”