"I am in such a dire situation that I cannot provide for my children. I can't even give them two meals a day. I am now forced to make my young children work in the fields so that we can keep our stove burning. If only my husband were with us today, my children would have a good education and a better living," said Zahida Bibi, a resident of Sardheri in Charsadda district, whose husband has been missing for the past eight years. Despite the efforts of the Missing Persons Commission and judicial proceedings, he has not yet been found.
Zahida Bibi, who lives in a dilapidated house with her five children, has no stable source of income. She runs a small grocery store where neighborhood children come to buy items, which is her only means of livelihood.
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar announced that families of missing persons will be provided with Rs 5 million in aid. Families of missing persons from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have been protesting for the past eight years, demanding the immediate release or court presentation of their loved ones.
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Speaking to TNN, Zahida Bibi said her husband disappeared in 2016 when Sardheri police called him, saying that his two brothers were in police custody and needed to be bailed out. When Zahida Bibi's husband went to the police station with his father neither of them returned. Since then, her children have been left fatherless.
With tears streaming down her face, Zahida Bibi said, "My children see other kids with clothes, shoes, and toys and ask me for the same, but I can't even provide them with two meals a day. How can I fulfill their wishes? My 11-year-old son works in the fields, and I have opened a small candy shop at home that earns 100 to 150 rupees. In this age of inflation, making ends meet is very difficult. Although I am not technically a widow, my situation is worse than that of widows. If there is a relief package for widows from the government, we are deprived of it too."
Zahida mentioned that she applied to several orphanages, but was told that her children could not be admitted because they are not technically orphans.
Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the media that the federal cabinet has endorsed reports on missing persons after consultations with intelligence and state agencies. According to the released statistics, 4,514 people have returned to their homes over the past 13 years, while the bodies of 277 individuals were found between 2011 and 2022.
The Federal Minister stated that the cabinet has approved a relief package of Rs 5 million for the families of missing persons who have been unaccounted for the past five years. He emphasized that the state is like a mother, and this aid is being provided with that philosophy in mind.
The families of missing persons have welcomed the government's announcement of aid and have demanded immediate disbursement to help them overcome their difficult economic conditions.
