Forever jaded Runaway train, never going back

Many children at Edhi Centre have no desire to return

PESHAWAR: It is said there is no place like home, no love greater than a mother’s and no security greater than having a father. While some may not be lucky enough to have one of these blessings, the children who arrived at Peshawar’s Edhi Centre lack all three.

The Express Tribune met some of these children on Thursday, who belonged to different parts the country. They left home because they were either being abused by a parent or both, or they ran because of other unpleasant reasons. But now the humanitarian organisation has taken it upon itself to reunite them with their ‘beloved’ parents.

After driving through Sindh and Punjab, the Karachi Edhi Centre bus arrived in the city carrying 18 children; some of whom will be handed over to parents from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Karachi Edhi Sohrab Goth Home In charge Amanullah says the shelter houses at least 17 children from Punjab, 10 from Sindh, four from Balochistan, two from K-P and one from Fata.

Abused at home

He adds the ages range from five to 14 years. “We started our mission to reunite children with their parents on June 12 starting from Karachi,” he says. The centre has done this in previous years, in a bid to return the children before Eid.

“The police and child protection authorities handed over the kids to us.” However, he says, the problem is the children keep changing their statement about where their families live.

Sharing his ordeal, Barkat Ali, 10, a resident of Swat, says his step-father used to beat him up badly – the reason he left home.

“This is the second time I left the house,” he says with tear-filled eyes. Barkat adds his real father lives in Malaysia and his mother married a second time.

“When my grandmother passed away, I left home. I came to the Nowshera Bus Stand, sat on a Karachi-bound bus and hid under a seat. When I woke up, I found myself in Karachi.” He says if his father beats him again, he will not hesitate to run away.

Muhammad Nasir, 12, a resident of Sehwan Sharif in Sindh was handed over to the Edhi authorities by officials of the child protection authorities in Lahore as the bus moved upcountry.

“My elder brother used to beat me,” the boy says. “I caught a train from Sehwan Sharif and reached Lahore where I worked in the Bhoot Bangla of Racecourse Park.” He earned Rs150 on a daily basis and slept inside the Bhoot Bangla.

“I do not want go back to my father and would rather live at my grandmother’s house,” he says. “I lied at the centre and said my father is dead. Had I told them the truth they would have handed me over to him.”

Muhammad Imran, who was also handed over to Edhi in Lahore, is a resident of Khairpur in Sindh. “My step-uncle forcibly put me on a Punjab-bound train,” he says. “I miss my home and want to go back to my family.”

This boy stands out as the majority of these children never want to see their homes again For them, parents are not the equivalent of a loving embrace and home is no place for love.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2015.