A Sadiqabad-based taxi driver, weighing 330kg, was air lifted on a Pakistan Army helicopter to Lahore for treatment on Tuesday evening on special directives from Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Noorul Hassan — a resident of Mohallah Islampura in Sadiqabad — had appealed to Gen Bajwa on social media to take notice of his predicament and assist him in seeking treatment.

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Sadiqabad Assistant Commissioner Kashif Dogar told Dawn that Hassan, 55, could not travel in an ambulance by road due to his weight. He said that Hassan is a poor taxi driver and resides in a small house.

Rescue 1122 personnel broke the main door and wall of Hassan's house to bring him out. Dogar said that the rescue team shifted Hassan onto a mini truck and transported him to a football ground in Sadiqabad where a helipad was fashioned for the air ambulance's landing.

He added that the special helicopter ambulance from Rawalpindi had to arrive in the morning but due to bad weather, landed in Multan first and later arrived in Sadiqabad in the evening.

AC Dogar said that Dr Maazul Hassan, a top laparoscopic surgeon in Lahore, will treat Noorul Hasan.

Relatives of Noorul Hassan distributed sweets in their neighbourhood in celebration of his departure to Lahore for treatment.