Porters return lost valuables

Airport authorities have written to headquarters recommending both porters to be awarded appreciation letters

PESHAWAR: In a rare display of honesty and integrity two porters at Bacha Khan International Aitport (BKIA) in Peshawar returned the valuables of an arriving passenger who had lost them in the car parking area of the airport.

According to details, Muhammad Kamil arrived at the facility. However he lost his belongings including seven passports [of his friends also], seven credit cards, eight gold rings, a power bank, two licenses, 39 Ringgits [Malaysian currency] and a charger at the car parking area.

After sometime, when Kamil failed to find his belongings, he filed an application to the airport authorities upon which Kamil was questioned since two porters; Muhammad Tariq and Janis Khan had found the valuables and already handed them over to the airport authorities.

“This is not the first time the porters have been cooperative at the facility and they always try to find real owners if they find something at the facility,” a senior CAA official informed however refused to share identity since he was not entitled to speak to media.

He informed that Kamil was happy with honesty of the porters and rewarded them with cash. The airport authorities have also written to the headquarters recommending both the porters to be awarded appreciation letters.

One of Kamil’s friends, Daud Khan told The Express Tribune that the CAA must reward these porters since they were real heroes adding they were not worried for other things but passports.

“I would request authorities to reward them not only with letters but cash also because had they not found our passports and not returned it to us, we would have lost everything since there were valid visas on our passports,” Khan informed.

On May 6, 2017, a passenger at BKIA was astonished and relieved after an honest porter at the airport’s arrival lounge returned his lost wallet with foreign currency worth Rs0.36 million at the arrival lounge.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2018.