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"With a mission to eradicate hunger from across Pakistan,* Parveen Saeed** and her team run a Khana Ghar (Kitchen) where the poor can have a hearty meal in 3 Rupees only. Currently based in Karachi, Parveen dreams of having a Khana Ghar in every corner of Pakistan and is working hard to make her dream come true"
*
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“Farooq Kabir *was an educationist who, for the last 40 years, had been providing his services voluntarily for Pakistan. He was killed at a terrorist incident in Karachi. His death is a terrible loss, not just for Pakistan, but the whole of humanity.”
*
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**Polio athlete wants to inspire Pakistan
KARACHI: Pakistani polio survivor Mudassar Baig dreams of winning a medal at the London Paralympics, hoping to inspire a nation troubled by corruption, Taliban violence and lost sporting glory.**
“It’s a dream come true for me and I want to be a role model – not only for disabled people in my country but also for the able-bodied who lose courage,” said Baig, whose right leg was left shorter than his left by polio in childhood.
The 33-year-old post office clerk who thought life was over when he couldn’t run as fast as the other boys growing up, is one of four athletes representing Pakistan at the London Paralympics from August 29 to September 9.
He will compete in the 200 and 400m, hoping to replicate the success of Pakistan’s first paralympian, long jumper Haidar Ali, who won silver in Beijing in 2008.
“I always wanted to run like the other boys but my disability hindered that. I made a promise to myself that one day I will run and win, and that day will come during the London Paralympics,” he said.
Ali heads the Pakistani contingent. Aneela Beg will compete in women’s 100m and shot-put, and Mohammad Naeem in the 800 and 1,500m.
Baig won silver in the 400m at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006, but London will be his first Olympics as a competitor.
He represented Pakistan in Beijing as an official after not being selected to compete – a disappointment he doesn’t want to discuss.
Born and brought up in Faisalabad, Baig struggled for years after contracting polio.
He finished school and went to university, completing a Bachelor’s degree that enabled him to get a job as a clerk in the Faisalabad post office.
But the track was always his first love.
“I trained and trained hard because I knew that if I want to achieve the goal of representing Pakistan and become a role model I have to work hard,” said Baig, who started at club and regional level.
His first international chance came in the 2006 Asian Games.
“That silver medal made me realise that nothing is impossible in life,” said Baig, “Haider’s success in the last Paralympics was a further motivation and now I want to win my own medal," (AFP)
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**Surmounting odds: A glimmer of hope for the handicapped **](http://tribune.com.pk/story/427372/surmounting-odds-a-glimmer-of-hope-for-the-handicapped/)
**
PESHAWAR: ** **With his willpower, Asadullah, 26, has not only managed to overcome disability but also excel in sports and set an example for others. Crippled by polio since he was six months old, he proved his mettle by winning two gold medals in wheelchair competitions in 2008 and 2001.
**
He is the founder and president of Independent Committee for Special Persons, which he established to motivate disabled persons to participate in healthy activities, so they “do not feel left behind and lead normal lives”.
While talking to The Express Tribune, he commented, “The handicapped are no less capable than anyone else; it’s only a matter of getting proper support.” His organisation works to help handicapped persons participate in various games and other healthy activities and help them become useful citizens.
During the National Olympics for Disabled Persons in 2008, Asad won a gold medal after bagging the first position in a three-kilometre wheelchair race. In 2011, he got another gold medal for getting the first position in a provincial-level wheelchair competition. He also won two bronze medals in body building competition, sponsored by Baitul Mal in Lahore, and won a bronze medal in Tajikistan for a weight-lifting competition this year.
According to an official of Social Welfare Department Mardan, around 8,000 people are physically-disabled in the district while majority of them have been affected by polio. Asad says that he contracted the disease because of not getting vaccinated on time. However, he wants to spread awareness among all parents to administer vaccination to their children and stem the crippling disease “before it’s too late”.
In Mardan, most of the disabled children, he says, do not step out of their homes. They feel awkward and hesitate in interacting with others in public. Parents usually don’t bother sending their physically-challenged children to school.
Asad, on the other hand, went to school and passed his Secondary School Certificate examination from Government High School Mardan. He urges people to immunise their children during anti-polio campaigns and not give in to any myths surround vaccinations. “Our next plan is to go door-to-door with the polio vaccination teams and spread awareness among those who rejected the polio vaccination,” he said. Moreover, he asked the parents of disabled children to have them enrolled in schools to ensure them a secure and bright future.
Surmounting odds: A glimmer of hope for the handicapped – The Express Tribune
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Olympics 2012 proved sterile for Pakistan. Let us wish that Paralympics will bring us some metallic solace.
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InshaAllah, wishing them all the very best!:k:
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Very informatic thread 
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H**indu **shoemaker’s son tops matriculation exam
**RAHIM YAR KHAN: Revtash Kumar, who belongs to an impoverished household in the lower district of Rahim Yar Khan has surprised everyone by securing the top most position in matriculation examinations.
**His success was celebrated in a traditional way, amidst Pakistani folk songs. His family was very happy on their son’s achievement.
Despite topping the exams, his dream of becoming a doctor will have to be put on hold since his shoe maker father, who earns Rs100-150 a day, cannot afford Revtash’s education any further. Instead, he now assists his father at his shoe shop.
“**I make shoes to earn a living but sadly, not enough to support my son’s education. I hope the government can help us,” Revtash’s proud father hoped.
**
This news came a few days after that of Muhammad Mohsin, the son of a former labourer of Hafizabad and a worker at a tandoor who topped the Punjab University B.A/B.Sc exams by obtaining 688 marks.
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Watch this from 9:40.
Encouraging and cautionary words about Pakistan from Aftab Iqbal:
Watch from 1:30.
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Olympics 2012 proved sterile for Pakistan. Let us wish that Paralympics will bring us some metallic solace.
Yes. Pak has about 50 medals from Paralympics and only about 10 from Olympics.
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**Recognising merit: PM announces award for Matric topping Revtash Kumar
****ISLAMABAD: After reports emerged of how Revtash Kumar, the son of a shoemaker could not continue his education despite topping matriculation examinations, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has announced an award of Rs500,000.Responding to the appeal of Kumar’s father, who said he could not afford further education for his son on the Rs100-Rs150 daily wage, a spokesperson for prime minister said the federal government will bear all expenses of Kumar’s higher education.
The statement termed Kumar’s achievement as an inspiration for the youth since it proved that knowledge is not the exclusive preserve of the privileged.
Kumar’s success story comes just days after that Muhammad Muhsen Ali, a tandoor worker who secured first position in BA examinations by the University of Punjab. Ashraf had announced rupees one million for Muhsen.
Recognising merit: PM announces award for Matric topping Revtash Kumar – The Express Tribune
**
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Retrofitted rickshaws help men who can’t walk get behind the steering wheel
**KARACHI: After spending a rough night on the road a few years ago, Imran Ghanchi, a physically challenged rickshaw driver, vowed not to drive again.
His three-wheeler had run out of gas near West Wharf, and everyone he asked for a tow refused. He was stranded and because of his polio,
walking to the nearest petrol station was not an option.
**Today, however, the 32-year-old is back behind the steering wheel of a rickshaw, but this one is special thanks to the
Network of Organisations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan. All of the controls are located at the tips of his fingers.
The Pakistani-made Sazgar CNG rickshaw has only hand controls,
which means that the gear, clutch and accelerator are all fixed to the steering handle and the brake is an elevated lever.
“This rickshaw has better features than the one I had,” explained Ghanchi. “I am encouraging other disabled people to become drivers.”
He is buoyed by the backing of the network.
The vehicle is owned by the network, explains project manager Reem Khan.
“The concept is to support disabled people as a part of the society through employment.
We want them to have their own income, and not earn pity.”
The network has been donated twenty CNG rickshaws, out of which it has customized one, catering to Ghanchi’s requirement at a cost of Rs200,000.
But it needs money to fix the rest of the fleet to other specifications.
All of the rickshaws are fitted with microphones, as the network will soon set up a call centre to coordinate between drivers and customers.
Trakkar systems have been installed to help inform people at the office about their exact location.
Each rickshaw also has a meter and they plan to fix the rates between Rs10 and Rs12 per kilometre.
Ghanchi was a perfect first experiment as he had worked on retrofitting his previous rickshaw and had helped customise 20 motorcycles
with extra tyres for other men with special needs.
It has been a long journey from being diagnosed with polio at two, to trying his hand at running a paan stall and attempting to earn a living as a plumber.
There is no total figure of how many people are living with polio in Pakistan.
Dr Iqbal Memon, who has been associated with the polio drive since 1984, said that he estimated it was 1.2 million if they started counting 25 years
before the vaccinations started and the number of people who were diagnosed but have recovered.
As Ghanchi smoothly test drives his new wheels on the streets of Clifton, there appears to be no difference between him and other rickshaw drivers.
It is only when he alights that it becomes clear that he is a person with special needs. “When people ask me how I can drive as a ‘maazoor’, I tell them put me up against any top driver to compare.”
It has taken some time to get used to the new settings, but the network enlisted the help of a trainer, Mustafa.
I want to remove the fear from other disabled men, who think they can’t drive,” he told The Express Tribune. “I want them to know that they can do anything!”
It takes a month to train the drivers, so they can ferry anyone from Baldia to Ranchore Line,
but there is the small glitch of trying to acquire a licence.
“Licencing officials had refused to grant the permit and said it was impossible,” Ghanchi said.
He persisted, however, armed with medical statements that certified that he had complete control of his upper body and
his eyesight and hearing were not impaired. It took a week to get a learner’s licence then.
Now, the network hopes that the public will respond. Once the service is launched, Reem Khan is targeting students.
**“Youngsters are more accommodating than others,” she said. “It would be nice if they travelled in rickshaws and helped make these people a part of our society.”
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**An extraordinary girl form FATA.
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cool stuff, Shamraz thanks for sharing with us.:k:
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beautiful story of Pakistani honesty
‘Dubai Police were so moved by Mr Khan’s honesty, they held a ceremony in his honour and presented him with a certificate of appreciation and an award for his honesty and integrity.’
“I’ve never taken a dirham I didn’t earn,” Mr Khan said. “Even if no one else was a round to see me, God sees all. Besides, if I had taken it, I don’t think I could ever have look my 2-year-old daughter in the eye.
“I’m a much happier person with Dh500 that I earned than Dh120,000 that I didn’t.”
The honest Dubai taxi driver and the return of the briefcase - The National
Re: ~ POSITIVE PAKISTANIS ~
This so-called “certificate of appreciation” has always been a matter of ‘indoor’ discussion within the UAE. How really do you reward a person who returns an amount that he surely won’t earn in his entire life? Dhs500 reward for returning Dhs120.00. That’s ridiculous and disgusting.
Re: ~ POSITIVE PAKISTANIS ~
I dont think they rewarded him Dhs500, I think Dhs500 is his monthly income. 
it was just an appreciation certificate.
but again, it doesnt really matter whether they appreciate him or not, what he did was really commendable.
