MINGORA: Parents of three physically and mentally challenged children have been seeking government assistance for the last two decades, but due to apathy of relevant quarters they are leading a miserable life.

Iqbal Hussain, 56-year-old resident of Faizabad, Mingora, is a senior physical education teacher at government high school Shagai. He has six children, and three of them are physically and mentally challenged, including a 23-year-old Nazli, 19-year-old Jawad Ali and nine years old Noor.

Mr Hussain said his three children were disabled by birth, adding he was doing what he could to give proper education to his children besides ensuring proper treatment of the special ones.

Nazli is the oldest daughter of Hussain, but she looks like a minor girl and laughs all the time. Iqbal Hussain told Dawn that his monthly salary was Rs35,000 and he was spending about Rs16,000 rupees on the treatment, foods and other requirements of the his special children.

He said that being government employee he had the right to get a residential quarter but he had been denied the facility despite submitting an application in this regard with the district administration. “We are five brothers and a room each has been allotted to each in our house, where they are residing with their families,” he said and added that a total 30 persons were living in the five room house.

“I want to see my children happy and well educated,” he said and added his daughter, Rabia had done BSc and now she wanted to get admission in MSc. He said his minor daughter, Yusra, was studying in class 3, and son, Rayaan in class 1.