Victim of aerial firing: Boy living with bullet in head for the past five years

Doctors have recommended treatment abroad; family does not have enough money.

RAWALPINDI:

A 16-year-old boy has been carrying a bullet in his head for the past five years after he was shot during celebratory firing near his village Dar Kali in Gujar Khan in 2007.

A CT Scan conducted at the DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi shows the 7mm bullet lodged in Ali Hasnain’s head.

But taking it out is an entirely different matter.

Doctors at the District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital Rawalpindi and Fauji Foundation Hospital have advised Ashfaq Hussain, Hasnain’s father, against an operation due to the risks involved. They advised him to go abroad for treatment.

Hussain has been running from pillar to post to arrange money for the treatment. “I don’t have the means to arrange for the money,” he said.

“I am a poor farmer in Dar Kali, Jatli and have exhausted my resources on my son’s initial treatment,” he added.

He also sent letters to the president, the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister appealing them to help him with the medical expenses. No one responded.

The bullet has also affected the mental health of the boy. He has not been himself since the firing, said his father. “Being the eldest, he was my hope. But the incident has left him a cripple. He has stopped going to school,” said Hussain.

“I cannot see my son dying a slow death,” he added, overcome with emotions.

Pending case

Hussain has also been struggling in pursuing the case against the people responsible for his son’s condition.

Police investigators at Jatli Police Station had declared the accused innocent, saying no evidence was found against them. A subsequent complaint resulted in the suspension of the investigation officer and the registration of a corruption case against him.

But the damage was done. “Taking advantage of faulty investigation, the accused men obtained bail from court and have been pressurising me to compromise and withdraw the case,” Hussain alleged.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2012.