Displaced and disabled: Of the rugged terrain and harsh reality

Nazir Ahmed from Swat does not have the finances to provide for his medical treatment.

ISLAMABAD:

He lost his parents at a young age. His home fell prey to the military operation in Swat. And now the 19-year-old Nazir Ahmed is at the verge of disability.

Ahmed suffers from severe pain in his legs, which do not allow him to move freely. He developed this condition by birth, as the doctors say that it was due some complication when he was born. In addition to that, his tongue was also amputated due to his deteriorating health.

Ahmed’s mother died while giving birth to him, while his father drowned in the Swat River when he was still young. Following his parents’ death, Ahmed’s uncle Munawar Khan took the responsibility of taking care of him. However, when the security forces launched an operation in Swat, Khan lost his house and moved to a refugee camp in Peshawar. Later, he moved to Islamabad in search of livelihood and now live in Alipur, a locality on the outskirts of the capital.

“I was displaced from Swat when the security forces launched an operation against militants and I had to travel all the way to Islamabad with pain in my legs,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune. This ordeal aggravated his condition.

Currently his uncle, Khan, works as a private security guard. However, due to his meagre earnings, Khan cannot afford Ahmed’s treatment.

“The doctors have said that his treatment is possible but I cannot afford to bear his medical expenses,” said Khan.

In order to raise his voice against his misery, Ahmed staged a protest outside the National Press Club. However, much to his dismay, no one paid heed.

His uncle also visited the Pakistan Bailtul Maal and the Benazir Income Support Programme offices to seek help from them but to no avail. Khan has now drafted an appeal for the Prime Minister and chief justice of Pakistan for his nephew’s treatment. These two being Ahmed’s last hope, the family has to wait and see if the teenager from Swat will be able to get out of his misery.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2011.