LAHORE, Aug 7: Ayesha Niaz (11), a survivor of the last year’s Mughalpura bus fire, is among nine Pakistani children being sent to America for treatment. The House of Charity, a US organisation, in collaboration with Shalamar Hospital, is arranging their visit.

Ayesha lost her two siblings - a brother and sister aged between 9 and 14 years - and her mother sustained burns in the accident in which 40 people were burnt alive. Ayesha’s both hands and her head were also severely injured.

Last April, Ayesha, along with about 50 other passengers, mostly her relatives and neighbours, was returning from a wedding ceremony by a bus when firecrackers stored inside the vehicle went off. “I can’t forget that night. There was fire all around and deafening cries. I somehow managed to jump out,” said Ayesha who misses her brother and sister a lot who had lost their lives in the accident. At times, her elder brother who had preferred to stay at home on the fateful night finds it hard to console his sister and mother.

Her grandmother said the fire had ruined the family of six. She said Ayesha’s mother was not well as she could not fully recover from the burn injuries. Ayesha’s father is an expatriate and had contacted the US organisation and got her admitted to the Shalamar Hospital last week.

Ayesha had been admitted to the Mayo Hospital for three months where surgeons had operated upon her head. “For the treatment of her disfigured hands and hair transplantation she is being taken to the US in November this year,” The House of Charity executive director, Ms Hashmat Effendi, told Dawn. She hoped Ayesha would be able to lead a normal life after the surgery.

Ms Effendi said the organisation was founded in 1996 and so far it had carried out 400 surgeries to treat cleft-lips, palate and burn injuries in Pakistan. She said around 50 Pakistani children who had multiple surgeries had also been treated in the US as well. She said a team of 90 surgeons in batches during their vacation visited different countries including Pakistan for the purpose.