She came to get her son treated, but lost him
For the past two months, she starts everyday by distributing pamphlets and pasting posters in a new area. The pamphlets tell her story — a 55-year-old Afghan national whose 31-year-old mentally challenged son has been missing since December 30.
For the past two months, she starts everyday by distributing pamphlets and pasting posters in a new area. The pamphlets tell her story — a 55-year-old Afghan national whose 31-year-old mentally challenged son has been missing since December 30.
In the afternoon, Hakeema boards an auto with an announcement system and calls out the physical features of her son — the clothes he was wearing the day he went missing and the award money that will be given to the person who gives any information about his whereabouts. At night she visits all night shelters in the hope of finding her son.
The last 60 days have been traumatic for Hakeema, who had come to India from Kabul for the medical treatment of her son, Jallaulidin Kamran.
As Hakeema was planning to leave for her country after her son's successful treatment at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram hospital, her son went missing from Karol Bagh's Ajmal Khan market on New Year's eve.
"One minute, he was walking right beside me, and the next he was gone. I have have been looking for him since that day. I have pasted his picture at all hospitals," said Hakeema, who has distributed more than 50,000 pamphlets to date.
Kamran, who is mentally challenged, spent most of his time writing and reciting couplets.
"A night before he went missing, he wrote a couplet in Urdu that examined the meaning of life," added Hakeema, who has rented an accommodation in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar.
In the past two months, Hakeema has written to all possible authorities including the Afghan embassy and National Commission for Human Rights.
"The police say that they are trying their best to locate him. I am not too sure, but I will not go back to Kabul without Kamran," said a shattered Hakeema, before breaking down.
The police claim that sincere efforts are on and a special search operation has been launched to find Kamran.
"We are trying our best to locate the Afghan national. All police stations have been alerted and a special team has been formed," said DC Shrivastava, additional commissioner of police (central).