KARACHI: Hafiz Kabeer, a Hafiz-e-Quran, is a visually-impaired skilled electrician who has overcome challenges despite his disability.
Kabeer lost his eyesight in early childhood. Since then, he has had to depend on friends and family to help him move around, but that hasn’t stopped him from carrying on with his work as a repairman.
He learned electric repairs from his brother, who is also an electrician. Despite his disability, he strived to continue his job even though it put him at risk. “It’s better to do work and labor to earn a livelihood than to beg,” he told M.M News.
“I have seen people who have no hands or legs but still do hard work. I believe that hard work is the right thing,” he added. According to Kabeer, he completed ‘Hifz’ at the age of 12 and started selling CDs on bicycle.
“Today, I have almost 12 years of experience in electric repairing,” he added. Apart from needing someone to accompany him to work, there was also the added risk of accidental electrocution. “However, I still enjoy my work,” he said.
“No matter, we have to work, and almost every person has some difficulties or disabilities. If we fail to overcome our challenges, we will never be successful in our life,” he added.
Visual impairment is a global health issue today. According to the WHO, 285 million people in the world are visually impaired, of whom 39 million are blind. The number exceeds 23 million in Pakistan alone (including both visually impaired and blind).
