Read the complete story at www.dawn.com | Nabeel Anwar Dhakku

Sometimes our perspective about things changes after what we experience in life. A Pakistani father who used to fear before coming to India is full of praise of it even after death of his daughter.

On his Facebook wall he wrote ” I Love INDIA, great India.”

Hamid Imran father of 13-year-old Nalain Rubab Imran had to visit India for the liver transplant of his daughter because the same transplant would have costed Rs. 5 million in Pakistan.
Hamid Imran works at the health department in Saudi Arabia. In September 2011 when his daughter, Abiha, was diagnosed with a liver disease, he rushed her to a hospital in Pakistan. It was revealed that Abiha was in dire need of a liver transplant, and it would cost Rs. 5 million.

Hamid took his daughter to Saudi Arabia where King Suleman bore the cost of the surgery. Abiha’s mother was the donor, and all seemed well after the operation.

Unfortunately, a few months later, Abiha’s liver became infected again. This time Hamid was in a fix: neither did he have the money for the operation nor any donors because under Saudi Arabian law only a family member could be a donor, and nobody in Hamid’s family had the same blood group as Abiha.

Hamid went on the air through a Pakistani television channel and appealed for help. Aid came from a Pakistan-based business tycoon who agreed to bear the costs of the operation. To avail better quality of medical support, Hamid decided on an operation at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.

Once again Hamid faced a dilemma: he had no contacts in Delhi. The Government High School of Hamid’s hometown gave him the contact number of Sardar Rattan Kohli, who was born in Chakwal, Pakistan but shifted to Delhi after Partition. Mr Kohli regularly visited Chakwal because of ancestral ties, and readily accepted to help Hamid.

And so it was that Hamid visited Delhi with his wife, Abiha and a donor. Abiha underwent a 20-hour surgery on March 16 this year. Initially she began recovering, but a few days after the surgery Abiha’s health started to deteriorate. The doctors tried their best, but on May 7 Abiha breathed her last. The loss of his daughter hit Hamid hard, but he remains ever grateful to the hospitality he received in India.

“During our stay of over 3 months, we never felt for a moment that we were in some foreign country. Rather, the exceptional love, affection and care showered by Kohli Sahib and his family made us feel as if we were at some hospital in Chakwal,” says Hamid.

When he crossed the Wagah border in an ambulance with his daughter’s body, Indian officials treated them with love and respect. A soldier covered Abiha’s body with a green cloth so that she wouldn’t be affected by the heat.
Across the border, however, Hamid has to wait for 3 hours and interrogated needlessly. Hamid sighs emphatically, “Neither can I forget the love which I received in India nor can I forget the pain caused by the sudden death of my daughter.”

The powerful thing about humanity and generosity is that they’re not limited by international borders or political animosity. The Logical Indian community salutes Hamid and Mr Kohli for displaying the meaning of kindness, and for showing us that borders need not restrict compassion.

“Humanity Is Not Restricted By Borders”

Abeeha’s diary was found full of thank you notes to the Kohli family and to the doctors of Apollo Hospital, Delhi. “I love India!” wrote the little angel, before leaving for heaven.

Image Source:  Punjab Keasri and Bhaskar