The destitute is one Mr. Zainal Abedeen. He is in his seventies and almost half paralysed. He walks with much difficulty with a stick. He has nobody to take care of him as his wife died earlier followed by the death of his dear child, a daughter who was much helpful. He lives in a makeshift hut in Mirpur Section 11, Dhaka. He lives on doles that he gets, which is not enough. He came here during the partition of India in 1947 with his father and family members. Some of his brothers were in Pakistan who reportedly died except one with whom he is almost disconnected. He thus has some body in Pakistan but living here a life of destitution. His problem could be partially solved if he is taken to Pakistan. He can't go on his own for his inability to manage passage money which is too prohibitive and nor can obtain permission (visa) from the Pakistan High Commission here as such people are hardly allowed visa. But there is an instance where such kind of person/s was/were helped. It may be worthwhile to recall that instance.

A few years back a journalist somehow could get access to one Mr. Fasihuddin (if I correctly remember the name) sheltered in Pabna Mental Hospital. He was an old educated man confined there for about two decades for the reasons not properly known. But it could be known that he was from India, and employed in the Customs Dept. etc. He had partially lost his memory and was deaf too. The journalist could communicate through writing. He was moved by his pitiable condition and made a story in a local newspaper with the hope that as he had linkage in India, he might have some relations there or in Pakistan who if they see the story might come to his rescue. I don't know how many people had seen that, but the humble self could send the press clipping to Pakistan, which a kind person arranged to publish in the print media there. By the grace of Allah that helped. It attracted the attention of a charitable person, no less than Mr. Ansar Burnie, Chairman of Burnie Trust. He took pity on him. He took all the pains to come to Bangladesh, negotiated with both the governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh and arranged to take him to Pakistan and rehabilitated him in a home for the old in Karachi as could be known later. Thus, the noble task initiated by a journalist ended happily in the rehabilitation of a destitute. This way, at least the problem of one out of millions could be solved and to that extent it was a success story in the social welfare field.

In line with the above, I would like to draw the attention of people in general and that of Mr. Ansar Burnie in particular to kindly extend helping hands to Mr. Zainul Abedeen too and take him to Pakistan, reunite with his relations there or rehabilitate him in a home for the old there. His local contact address is: Mr Zainal Abedeen, C/O, Mr Abdus Sattar Siddiqui, Medical & Maternity Centre, Section XI-C, 10-4-15, Mirpur, Dhaka.