Two speech and hearing impaired sisters return home after missing for three years

KARACHI: Two sisters from Chichawatni, Alishbah and Sadia, have been reunited with their father in Karachi, three years after going missing, thanks to the Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s (PSCA) “Mera Pyara” initiative.

According to a news report by Express Tribune, the sisters were aged 17 and 15 at the time of their disappearance. They had travelled from Chichawatni to attend a wedding in 2022 but became separated from their family and never returned.

Being unable to speak, they faced difficulties communicating and were eventually taken in by an Edhi Foundation shelter in Karachi, where their identities remained unknown.

A breakthrough came earlier this week when the Mera Pyara team shared a short video of the sisters on its official social media platforms. Their father, who currently lives in Karachi, immediately recognised them and contacted the authorities.

“Alhamdulillah! These sisters, Alishbah and Sadia, have been reunited with their father in Karachi three years after going missing from Punjab. Both are non-verbal. Mera Pyara shared their video through a social media campaign, and their father recognised them and contacted us,” the initiative posted on X, sharing emotional footage of the reunion.

Mera Pyara is Pakistan’s first lost and found initiative, dedicated to reuniting missing children and vulnerable individuals with their families through the use of AI facial recognition, camera tracing, and social media platforms.