‘Panahgah’ residents receive Eid surprise

ISLAMABAD: While most of the inhabitants living in government’s ‘Panahgahs’ or ‘Shelter Homes’ in Islamabad had already left for their homes to celebrate Eid with their loved ones, there were a few left behind.

Those were the elderly daily wage labourers who were unable to earn enough to even pay for their travel to their home towns.

Their stories were heart wrenching as they were unable to express their miseries over not been able to earn enough money since Eidul Fitr to be able to take something back for their families, thus decided to stay in these ‘Panahgahs’ in Islamabad.

Naseemur Rehman, the Focal Person on these ‘Shelter Homes’ and ‘Langars’ which are providing shelter and free food to the inhabitants said that it was too painful to see them sulk. Some spontaneous thoughts and he approached a few philanthropists to pay for their travel and return to Islamabad, enabling them to go and spend a few days of Eid with their families.

“It would have been difficult for them to stay in these ‘Shelter Homes’ because they would not have been able to find any work to earn some money and the ‘Langar’ was also going to be close for the Eid holidays and they would have been left with no option but to beg on the roads and streets,” said Naseemur Rehman.

So, the best option was to give them some happiness on Eid by sending them to their homes to be with their families. And their joy was beyond imagination! With tears in their eyes they received the money with shaking hands and dashed to the bus/wagon stands to catch transport for their destinations.