CHAKWAL: An old man with no known family has become a problem for the administration of the District Headquarters Hospital, Chakwal, where he is being treated.

The administration is trying to figure out his identity and locate his relatives.

An official at the hospital told Dawn that the man was found injured at the gates of the hospital.

He was brought in by a gatekeeper and the hospital decided to treat him on humanitarian grounds. “His feet were badly injured and his clothes were filthy. We admitted him to the hospital, treated his injuries and helped him bathe,” the official said.

For four days the man, who appears to be around 70, just asked for water and did not utter any other word.

On the fifth day, a member of the hospital staff used harsh language in an attempt to get the man to reveal his identity and he responded cryptically, saying “first they tortured me and now you are going to do the same?”

When asked about who tortured him, he did not respond. This particular utterance worried the administration, and they decided to inform the police about this man.

“Sometimes he appears normal but at times he talks like a mad man,” an official commented.

The official said the man identified himself as Nawazish Ali.

Talking to Dawn the old man said he belonged to Chak No. 83 in Sargodha district and was a war veteran. “I joined Military Police on December 12, 1964 and retired on December 12, 1982 after 18 years of service. I also participated in the 1965 war,” he said.

“My wife’s name is Kulsum Anwar and I have a daughter and a son; their names are Rubab Ali and Abrar Ahmed,” he said.

He said that his daughter has done MBA and teaches at a private school.

The old man, who is in poor health, looked frail and wore a forlorn look on his wrinkled face.

His clothes were in tatters and his injuries added to his wretchedness. When asked about how he reached this state, his answers were ambiguous.

“Once, I lived like a king and then some people did black magic on me to snatch my wealth and property,” he lamented.

He said that he had come to Chakwal to trace his son. “I heard that my son is running a business here, so I came looking for him as I have not heard from him in a long time,” he added.

At one point, during the conversation, he began to accuse a man from Dhab Village in Chakwal of destroying him but did not manage to explain what happened.

“I am a disciple of Baba Haider Shah whose shrine is located in Dhab village. I spent a lot of time there. I have also spent some time at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar,” he said.

“I’m dying to see my daughter and wife but nobody is helping me,” he complained.

Talking to Dawn, Medical Superintendent Dr Ahsan Naveed Malik said he had informed the police in writing about this person but they had not taken any action.

“Meanwhile, we are taking utmost care of the old man,” he added.

When contacted, Deputy Superintendent of Police Anwar Khan said that nobody informed him about such a patient. “I will look into the matter,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2014