KARACHI: 2 camel kids handed over to their parents
By Bhagwandas
KARACHI, April 12: The Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) handed over two camel kids, who had arrived here from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) many months back, to their parents on Monday.
Since their arrival from the UAE, the children -Qamar Abbas and Mohammad Saleem- were being kept at the Edhi Home, and the OPF had been trying to locate their parents.
Qamar Abbas recognized his mother and father, Ameeran Bibi and Mohammad Anwer; and Mohammad Saleem recognized his mother Zubaidah Bibi when they came to the Edhi Home on Monday morning. The parents also recognized their children, the OPF officials said.
Talking to Dawn at the OPF office on Monday, Mohammad Anwer said that he had given his son to his maternal cousin Zainab Bibi a couple of years back. Father of four children - three boys and a girl - Anwer is a daily wage mason who earns around Rs70 and Rs80 a day in his village, Chak No. 417, tehsil Samundri in Faisalabad.
He said that he was a poor person and could not fulfil the needs of his family. Keeping this in view, he said that he had handed over his son to his cousin so that she could take him to Dubai for supplementing the family needs.
However, he continued that he had not received any money from his cousin. Mr Anwer admitted that he knew his son would be made to ride camels in races in the UAE and there were chances that he might meet some accidents, which could be fatal as well.
Mother of Mohammad Saleem, Zubaidah Bibi, who is the sister of Mohammad Anwer while talking to Dawn said that when two years back Mohammad Anwer was sending his son to Dubai, the child did not want to go alone, as he was afraid.
She claimed that she sent her child with Anwer's son to Dubai. She said that since both the children (Qamar and Saleem) were cousins they happily went to Dubai with Zainab Bibi.
Zubaidah Bibi said that her husband Khadim Hussain, who was sick and could not come, was a mason and used to earn around Rs100 in their village, Chak No. 238, tehsil Jaranwala in Faisalabad. She said that she had three children and it was difficult to make both ends meet.
She admitted that she knew her son would be used as a camel kid and that she was aware of the risks that the child might face while riding the camels in the races.
Mohammad Anwer and Zubaidah Bibi claimed that they had learnt a lesson and that soon after they handed over their children to Zainab Bibi they had been pressing her to get them back, but she could not. "Now, we are happy that we have got our children back safely," they said.
Both of them insisted that they had handed over the children to Zainab Bibi on their free will. Zainab Bibi, who had taken the children to Dubai, said that the parents had given her their children on their free will over a couple of years back and she had taken the children to the UAE.
Talking to Dawn, the OPF official Mushtaq Ahmad said that these children had arrived from the UAE many months back and the OPF was trying to locate their parents.
A few days back, Zainab Bibi came to the OPF office and asked the officials to give her the children, who were her nephews. However, the OPF officials asked her to bring the children's parents and she brought them. The children and the parents had recognized each other, he added.
