November 20, 2008	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 21, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 19: The eight children who were placed under the care of the Edhi Foundation by three women reunited with their families within 24 hours after the mothers took them home on Wednesday.

Korangi’s Bilal Colony, where the three families live, was thronged with media teams, government officials and social workers after word spread on Wednesday morning that the children were returning home.

Although the families received assurances of assistance in different forms by political parties and social welfare organisations, they were sceptical that these pledges would be honoured.

“But self-respect stops us from asking when these promises would actually be met,” one of the women said.

“Since early morning media teams have been flocking to our house,” Mohammad Sabir, in his late 40s, said. Sabir’s wife had consigned three of their daughters and a son to the Edhi Foundation’s care on Tuesday.

The couple have 10 children.

“Officials of the local government kept visiting our place one after the other. In the evening we were told by media people that the chief minister or some other dignitary would visit us and announce some sort of assistance, ” Sabir said in a tone betraying scepticism and despondency.

Khan Bahadur, father of three of the eight children, was also clueless about the future, rosy pictures painted by the visitors notwithstanding

“We didn’t want to abandon them,” he told journalists who crowded into his 60 square yard house. The cramped place accommodates 13 people, including seven children of his sister’s who have been under Khan Bahadur’s guardianship after she separated from her husband a few years ago.

He told journalists that he and his wife had always turned down offers of assistance out of self-respect. “The way television channels are flashing pledges of help is demeaning,” Khan Bahadur sighed.

Mustafa Kamal, the city Nazim, said on Wednesday that MQM chief Altaf Hussain had told him to take up the matter with higher authorities. Naimatullah Khan, his predecessor, came up with an offer to take care of his children.

But the families of Mohammad Sabir and Khan Bahadur fear that no help might be forthcoming, leaving them to fend for themselves.

However, Abdul Sattar Edhi was confident that bad days were over for the three families thanks to media. But the tireless philanthropist said he was fearful of similar happenings in future.

“We are moving towards a bloody revolution. Every member of society is responsible for this tragedy, but above all, the business class, industrialists and politicians are the biggest culprits as they evade taxes and Zakat,” the octogenarian said without mincing words.