Postman passes away in despair

Post office failed to offer job to visually impaired man despite service of 45 years

HARIPUR:

The death of a 65-year-old visually impaired postman in the remote Chatti village in Haripur district has left the residents to bereave in grief. The deceased, Muhammad Anwar, commonly known as Hafiz Sahab, who was working as a “volunteer” and a non-permanent employee of the area post office for the past 45 years, passed away two days back.

The locals admired the determination and dedication of the late postman. Hafiz Sahab was also awarded a Quaid-e-Azam gold medal by Nazaria-i-Pakistan Council.

Hafiz Sahab started his career on a salary of a mere Rs25 per month in 1973 and was being paid a meagre sum of Rs1,055 per month at the time of his death. A nephew was looking after him since the death of the postman’s wife and siblings. The postman and his nephew would make ends meet by selling the milk of a buffalo.

The visually impaired postman had all the routes and paths of Chatti village imprinted in his mind, which is a walk of about 12 kilometres. His visual impairment was never an obstacle to performing his duty as he could recognise and identify the locals by their voices.

The villagers said that over the years, Hafiz Sahab had become a part of their families. They said the postman was a widower and his siblings had also died. He had three daughters who are married and a son who is a labourer in Karachi.

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An elderly resident of the village, Haji Abdul Rahim, told The Express Tribune that Hafiz Sahab started working as a postman at a very young age after the demise of his father.

He said because of his pathetic pay, the 65-year-old postman was suffering from a severe financial crisis and lived in a single room until his death. Rahim recalled that there was no portion on the deceased’s feet and legs that did not have the marks of wounds suffered in the course of his travails. Rahim recalled that Haji Sahab could not become a regular employee of the Pakistan Post, which was his dream, despite serving the department for over four decades.

The villagers said the visually impaired elderly postman was so skilful that he never made a mistake in the delivery of letters. They said that his life could have been much easier if the government had regularised his services, which would have entitled his heirs to a pension and other benefits.

The postman’s nephew, Riyasat, said his uncle used to walk over 10 km daily to perform his duty. He said Hafiz Sahab’s last salary was a mere Rs1,055. He said the whole village is saddened by Hafiz Sahab’s death.

The local post office officials said the visually impaired postman was hired as a temporary volunteer in 1973. With his death, the postal department has been deprived of an honest and diligent worker, they added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2021.