At a time when state government has already decided to reload its armoury with thousands of fresh hunting guns (pellet guns), a labourer named Ali Mohammad Sofi, 55, is making news for all the right reasons.
A resident of Islamabad district, Sofi, has offered to donate one of his eyes for a pellet victim. His offer has not come in response to any debate on the crisis, if at all that is happening. “I was shattered to see pellet victims lying on hospital beds like living corpses. It left me heartbroken,” said Sofi. “Instantly I made up my mind to donate one eye for someone who is completely blind due to pellets.”
Sofi feels absolutely normal about his decision to donate his precious eye. “I will still have one eye.”
Sofi has three children, two daughters, and a son, all married. His son works as a driver. “They have no issues with my plans.”
His motivation to take such a decision comes from his desire to please Allah as he says, “What better way than to restore a blind person’s vision.”
After he made his decision, Sofi immediately sent a note to a Srinagar based Urdu newspaper for publishing.
The note was published but it got response many months later after the photo of the newspaper clipping was sheared on whatsapp and Facebook. Instantly it was picked up by Srinagar based newspapers. The press wrote stories and then he started receiving calls from unknown people including media persons and commoners.
He also received of encouragement from relatives and strangers alike.
Such a decision will normally compel a donor to think about his life after surgery but Sofi is calm about it and his only concern is how he can please Allah as he repeatedly mentions during his conversation with Kashmir Life.
“Parents of pellet blind can contact me and should arrange a meeting with eye specialists and I am ready for surgery to donate my eye.”
During 2016 uprising pellets guns left hundreds of youngsters partially of completely blind. Most of the cases were from southern parts of Kashmir where Sofi lives.
– Zafar Aafaq
