Pakistani’s mission to repatriate dead workers from UAE

Haji Daraz Khan devotes his spare time to the sad but necessary task of returning the bodies of workers who have died to their families in Pakistan. ’All of us return to Allah one day, but dying away from home is the most helpless situation,’ he says. Christopher Pike / The NationalShow less

ABU DHABI // For more than 30 years, Haji Daraz Khan has been undertaking the sad but vital task of funding the repatriation of the bodies of Pakistani blue-collar workers.

Often, when they pass away unexpectedly it is a double tragedy because not only can their families not afford to have their body sent back home, but their sole breadwinner is also gone.

So, since 1983, Mr Khan has been raising money from the Pakistani community to fund the airfare costs as well as provide financial support to the bereaved family.

The 62-year-old, who works as a public relations officer for a private company, remembers his first case.

“The first dead body I repatriated to Pakistan was a middle-aged taxi driver who died in an accident,” said Mr Khan, who originates from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Since then, he helps to repatriate an average of four to five bodies a month, most of whom are victims of traffic or workplace accidents.

Despite the amount of paperwork involved, Mr Khan strives to get the body home within 24 hours.

He also provides a payment to the families, although at first this was only a small amount.

“But now, by the grace of Allah and with the help of generous donations, we give 35 lakhs (about Dh125,000) to each family as financial support,” he said.

Mr Khan said most of the deaths were of young men who came here to earn a better future for their families back home.

“We cannot give them their sons back so, as a community, it is our responsibility to take care of their families afterwards,” Mr Khan said.

“As Muslims we believe that all of us have to return to Allah one day. But dying away from home is the most helpless situation.”

He was keen to praise authorities in the UAE and the Pakistan embassy for the help they provide to him.

His work in this field has made him popular among the Pakistani community in this country. He is also well respected back in his native land.

Obaid Ullah Khan is related to one of five workers from the same village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who died two years in ago in a traffic accident near Tarif.

He said the whole village was indebted to Mr Khan’s support.

“He is our superhero. He not only sent the dead bodies on time, he supported each family in a way so that they have been able to sustain themselves even after the loss of their breadwinners,” he said.

The Pakistani mission also acknowledged Mr Khan’s efforts in supporting members of the community in their darkest hours.

The ambassador to the UAE, Asif Durrani, said that people like Haji Draz Khan are a blessing to the Pakistani community because they inspire others to be humane and charitable.

“He is a selfless social worker who has evolved a system of helping his countrymen through a transparent system. Luckily, he has formed a dedicated team that is always ready to help Pakistanis in distress,” he said.

The Pakistani mission in Abu Dhabi facilitates the movement of about 30 to 40 bodies eachmonth. Pakistan International Airlines does not charge for transporting the body and also gives one free ticket to an accompanying person.

Mr Durrani urged Pakistanis to register with the embassy or consulate so their contact details and those of their next of kin back home are readily available in case of such a tragedy.