Gulzar Bhatti, a 78-year-old Pakistani national who met with a car accident involving an Iranian family almost two and half years ago, is appealing to his community to help in paying the fine (diya) demanded by the family.

Bhatti is not only old but also very sick with chronic asthma and other complications and undergoing treatment at King Fahd Hospital in Madinah. He can’t do any work and is unable to pay the compensation money demanded of him by the Iranian family.

Bhatti has requested the Pakistani community to help him as he is unable to pay the fine and is afraid that the amount will increase with the passage of time as the Iranian consulate has already given him a deadline by the end of May to pay the fine.

Pakistani Consul General Aftab Ahmed Khokher has asked Pakistani businessmen and community to fulfil their social and moral responsibility and come to the aid of their countryman as they have done in the past.

He also said that the consulate is doing its best to help Gulzar but requested the cooperation of the Pakistani expatriate community in the Kingdom as well adding that he had full confidence that they would not let their countryman and country down.

Bhatti was initially asked to pay 50 percent toward the damages but when the Iranian man’s wife landed up in hospital, the man took the case to court where he was asked for compensation or ‘diya’ to pay for the medical treatment.

“I am old and very sick. I have no one to help me and I can’t work due to my illness. I am educated and was working as a translator earlier but after my sponsor’s death four years ago, I was unable to transfer my iqama because of disputes in my sponsor’s family. After a long struggle, I got the iqama of a personal driver but owing to my old age, sickness and the labor law, my new sponsor has refused to allow me to work,” he lamented.

He said that the matter was taken up by the Iranian consulate to settle the issue between the parties. But the Iranian couple continued to demand compensation as the wife is still in hospital. Earlier they had asked for SR50,000 but with the intervention of the Pakistani Haj Mission, the amount was brought down to SR25,000 which is still a large sum for him.

“I am talking to Arab News with the hope that someone may have mercy on me and help me out of this difficult situation. After the recent death of the lady’s husband, I am afraid that if anything happens to the wife who is still under treatment in hospital, they will blame me for everything and increase the penalty,” he said.

• For those who want to help, please contact the Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah at (96612) 669-1046.