New Delhi: A top British surgeon is spending 50,000 pounds of his own money to help rebuild scarred faces of acid attack victims in Pakistan.
As per reports, Dr Asim Shahmalak, who was born in Karachi but moved to the UK after qualifying as a doctor, is helping many victims, including a young mother whose face was terrifically left disfigured after a man she refused to marry threw acid at her in Karachi.
The acid attack by the jealous man had not only left Sidra Kanwal's face disfigured, but also distanced her from her beloved son as the child was too scared to live with her. It is said that following the attack, not recognising his mother, the three-year-old son was too scared to look at her scars and initially refused to live with her.
Sidra pictured before (left) and after (right) the attack (Image credit: Cavendish/Crown Clinic)
“I cry all the time - this tragedy has distanced me from my beloved son. He ran away and refused to talk to me. He seemed afraid of even looking at me. I have been stripped of my identity,” she added.
Sidra, now back living with her son, will first undergo an eyelash transplant on her left eyelid to help with her treatment.
Besides Sidra, other patients that will receive surgical help from Dr Shahmalak include - Kanwal Qayyum (29), Sana Naz (24), Waqar Ali (22) – all acid attack victims - Niaz Bano (52), Arzoo Iobal (20), Reshma Rashid (42) and Salma Hanif.
Dr Shahmalak, who said that he wept when he heard their stories, funded a previous mercy mission to help acid attack victims in Karachi two years ago.
“Helping to rebuild their faces is some of the most rewarding work that I do. Just seeing their smiles after the surgery makes it all worthwhile. There is so much more work to do. I am just glad that I am able to make a difference to these people's lives,” said the father of two Dr Shahmalak.
The former NHS surgeon, lives in Cheadle, is best known for his work with celebrities like model Calum Best and Gogglebox's Chris Steed.
