A little boy who wants to change fate of his family

Sohail Rashid

ISLAMABAD, September 20, 2010: Like other children of Pakistan, eight-year-old Arshad Khan loves to play and watch cricket. However he neither has time to play nor a television set at home to enjoy live cricket. The reason behind it is that he belongs to poor class and shoulders the responsibility of earning bread and butter for his family.

He sells shopping bags near the shrine of Hazrat Barri Imam in Nurpur Shahan on the outskirts of Islamabad. He is a student of grade 2, but he has to work after school due to weak financial position of his family.

Arshad Khan told this news agency that he hails from Mardan and currently living in Islamabad in a house along with his family. He said that they are five brothers and two sisters and he is at number 4 among his siblings. “My father is a labourer who works on daily wages. It is not possible for him to manage all expenses of the family so I have to work after school to earn some money for my family,” he added.

“I hardly make one hundred rupees per day. I hand over all money to my mother in the evening,” he said. He said that he is not forced by anyone to work, but he is working willingly for the sake of his family.

“I am quite fond of playing cricket, but I cannot do so because of lack of time,” he said. He said that his favourite player is Shahid Afridi and he loves to watch his big sixes, but as he has no television set at home he can’t watch his favourite player in action. “I try to watch Shahid Afridi’s batting at roadside hotels but waiters don’t allow me to sit there,” he said with dejection writ large on his face.

“I have an off-day every week on which I have to complete my school work in order to keep a balance between studies and work,” Arshad Khan said. When he was asked about his future plans, he said that he wants to become a doctor. “I want to mitigate miseries of my family and for that I am working hard. “One day, I will be a renowned doctor and my parents will feel proud of me,” he said with a twinkle of hope in his eyes.