LAHORE, Feb 26 (APP):The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has reunited a speech- and hearing-impaired man with his family after 18 years through its Virtual Centre for Child Safety (VCCS) and ‘Mera Pyara’ initiative.
According to a PSCA spokesperson, the man, who was unable to communicate his name or address, was taken into protective custody from Taunsa Sharif and shifted to Edhi Homes Multan for care and shelter.
The spokesperson said the ‘Mera Pyara’ team recorded a video of the individual at Edhi Homes and shared it on social media platforms to ascertain his identity. After the video went viral, his brother Umar Hayat contacted the team and identified him as Muhammad Yar, son of Dama. The family informed authorities that Muhammad Yar had gone missing from District Khanewal in October 2007 and despite continuous efforts, they had failed to trace him.
After completing necessary verification procedures and due diligence, the Safe City Reunification Team formally handed over Muhammad Yar to his family after a lapse of 18 years.
The spokesperson said the “Mera Pyara” initiative has so far reunited more than 60,000 missing individuals with their families. Expressing gratitude, Muhammad Yar’s family thanked the PSCA team and termed the reunification a great blessing.
He added that the “Mera Pyara” team remains committed round-the-clock to reunite missing persons with their loved ones and urged citizens to call Emergency Helpline 15 and press 3 to report any missing person for timely assistance.