Off the radar: Mystery man lives the fringe life at Abbottabad hospital

Little is known about Naseer Zada’s origins who earlier resided in LRH

ABBOTABAD: At first glance, Naseer Zada bears an uncanny resemblance to someone very down on his luck, living the street life. With his long grey beard, unkempt hair, rather shabby attire and predilection to wear two overcoats, it is easy to see why visitors at Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital Abbottabad are initially wary of his presence. However, his menacing appearance belies his true nature.    

For a little over two decades, Naseer has made the corridors and wards of the hospital his home without facing any opposition from the hospital authorities.

A roof over my head

“He has slept on the premises without any hindrance for over 20 years,” says Dr Minhajul Haq, medical superintendent at the hospital.

Be it curiosity or genuine concern for his well-being, hospital staff have allowed him unrestrained access to all wards and offices.

Naseer follows the same routine, day in and day out. Every day, he silently does his rounds of all wards and laboratories. He then makes a quick trip to a nearby market to buy food and returns by afternoon. On his return, he finds a bed in a hospital ward of his own choosing and goes to sleep.

His unmistakable presence does not rankle or disturb anyone. Over the years, the hospital staff has grown accustomed to Naseer and do not see him as an intruder.

Shrouded in mystery            

However, little is known about Naseer Zada’s origins.

According to Haq, he has known Naseer since 1985, soon after Haq began his house job at Lady Reading Hospital in the provincial capital. However, even this three-decade long acquaintanceship has failed to reveal crucial details about his early life.

If insights derived from disjunctive snippets of conversations Haq had with colleagues are to be believed, Naseer was born in LRH and had been abandoned by his parents. Since then, he was looked after by nurses and doctors at the facility and ate his meals at the hospital’s canteen.

“Little is known about where his parents are and why they abandoned him,” he adds.

“I have reason to believe he suffers from a mental illness,” the medical superintendent tells The Express Tribune. “Anyhow, he is a familiar face across Abbottabad city, is nearly 45 years old and speaks both Pashto and Urdu.”



He adds, “When he grew up, he relocated to Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital – which was then known as District Headquarters Hospital.”  Haq says, “Fortunately, the hospital authorities did not treat him unfairly and let him use the premises.”

With time, Naseer wasn’t just another person taking up space at the hospital. He had earned the administration’s trust.

“For a few years, the administration tried to engage him in routine work at the hospital,” the medical superintendent explains. “He served as a security guard and ward attendant for some time. However, his condition began to deteriorate. He stopped taking interest in his work and became far more silent and reserved than he was before.”

As a result, the hospital administration decided not to burden Naseer with too many responsibilities. Yet, he remains an integral part of the hospital.

Without assistance

“Naseer is harmless,” Haq says. “He only gets irritated when someone tries to touch or snatch the small bundle of cloth he holds close to his chest.” The medical superintendent believes the raggedy bundle is filled with money.

“It is unfortunate there is no institution where people like Naseer can be allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds,” he explains. “I have written to the administration of Edhi Centre and other NGOs. But my requests have fallen on deaf ears.”

The hospital staff has a soft corner for him. “He is bilingual but only speaks when he wants to,” says Nauman, a paramedic. “He wears gem-fitted rings and always has threes pens in his shirt pocket. Sometimes, he pulls out a pen and writes something on a cigarette’s packet. That’s how we know he’s educated.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2015.