Six and a half years ago, Ajmal Khan was a rickshaw driver in his native Pakistan. Last week, he topped up his mobile phone with at least Dh25 in credit. And today he is a millionaire, the face of an Etisalat Ramadan promotion awarding Dh1 million to two winners every week. Mr Khan, 40, who shares a flat in Sharjah, usually spends about Dh40 a month on his mobile; his wife and four children live back in Pakistan. When he got the text message telling him he had won, he said, his first two thoughts were to thank God and find a way to bring his family to live with him.
"After I get the money, I would like to settle myself here with a new business," he said. "I would like to bring my kids and my wife here. I want a better future for them." He said he also would like to make the Haj pilgrimage and take some members of his family. But for now, he wants to keep a low profile, fearing for his family's safety. "I am scared that if I tell anyone else apart from my wife and brother, the word will spread," he said. "People may start asking me about it and that will attract attention. I don't want attention because I am a very simple and poor person. It could lead to security issues for my family. Someone might take my sons or daughter."
From driving a rickshaw in the north-western Pakistani province of Peshawar to landing a job in a tyre and rim shop in Sharjah, Mr Khan was already pleased to be supporting his family, albeit from afar. Six and a half years ago, Mr Khan made the difficult decision to leave his wife and children, move to the UAE and save as much money as possible to educate and provide for his family. He moved to Sharjah after a former neighbour who had relocated to the UAE sponsored him. Now he earns Dh1,200 a month, more than half of which he sends back to his family.
He shares one room with four other people. His expenses every month come to about Dh500, including rent, his favourite food, Karahi lamb, and, most important, mobile phone cards. In the first few years living away from home, he visited Pakistan to see his relatives once every two years, but more recently has managed to go back annually. Naturally, he misses his wife, Rahat, terribly and their four children: one daughter, Samaira, and three sons, Naeem, Aman and Naseem.
"When I got the text message I was thankful first to God, and then to the UAE and Etisalat," Mr Khan said. "When I told my wife, Rahat Bibi, she was really happy and we both prayed and thanked God. We also made additional Zikr [remembrance] to give thanks." He plans to go to Pakistan after Eid and is excited to see his wife of 10 years. "I live in a very broken house in Pakistan, which doesn't have a permanent roof, a proper toilet. It only has one proper room and I would like to make a proper house for myself back home," he said.
As for luxurious presents, Mr Khan said he is not likely to splurge. "I want to buy my wife some gold bracelets, but other than that I am not really looking to flash," he said. "I would want to stay simple and humble." For his children, he hopes religion will keep them grounded and he would like them to become part of a family business. "I would like to make my first son a Hafis [someone who can memorise the Quran]; I believe that is an important education," he said.
Mr Khan already has vowed that when he receives the money, he will work out how much zakat, or tithe, he owes. "I will help my poor village back home and give zakat. I want to help people in the name of Allah, as he has endowed this thing upon me," Mr Khan said. Like many Pakistanis living in the UAE, Mr Khan often worries for the future of his country as it continues to struggle with a poor economy, clashes between the Taliban and the military and weakening confidence in the government.
"I pray to God that the situation improves. I am not really sure what is wrong with it, only God knows that. I wish for him to fix the situation for us," Mr Khan said. Yet Mr Khan has adapted to life in the Emirates and wishes to remain here. "I will continue to work in the UAE," he said. "It is my second home now." asafdar@thenational.ae
