This is a true story of a little innocent missing school child of village Mayar, District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan and is dedicated to Google Maps for reuniting him back with his parents, friends and family members.
It was a beautiful morning of spring 31 March 2018. In village Mayar of district Mardan, province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, early morning artistic golden sun start painting the dark black sky into a bright blue and the milky clouds start travelling here and there around the sky visiting the wonderful environment. Fresh windy cool air whistling like an invisible ghost and the huge trees swung in the wind greeting good morning. flowers fragrance filled the whole environment making the morning pleasant covering the entire nature. Birds flying with chilli like beak twitting their morning melody. Buzzing bees swarmed up in the air in glad searching for sweet honey and colorful cute dancing butterflies looking for sweet nectar all around the environment. Woman starts preparing morning tea and food for their family. Labor Tahir with a small and healthy family living a very happy and satisfied life with no sorrow no tension. After taking his tea under the sheds of tall trees on muddy path he start moving for work with other labors towards the wheat green fields which look like that someone has spread a green dusty bed sheet and seems to be gardens of royal palace. Under the sheds of the green brown beautiful countless leaves Tahir with other labors were whispering about their today working plans and the thick strong brown big branches dancing welcome all of them. Labor Tahir’s son Naeem alias Ocha student of class 3rd after taking his tea take his way towards the school alongside with the white water canal which was splashing down to the green fields and look like that someone spilling a glass of milk. Today was Ocha school result and each year on 31st March the government running schools announce student’s results throughout the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan from class 1st to class 8th (Middle School Certificate). Ocha along with other students was happy, excited and in hurry to reach his school before 8:00 AM. Talking freely with each other all over the way, wearing new clothes a lot of happy school children with their hands full of gifts for their teachers finally reached at their school gat and entered. Ocha have not any gift in his hands for his teacher, however, his hopes were also very high because he thinks like other students he could also be the happiest one to promote next class. And in reward his poor parents promised him to buy new school cloths for him this year as they have saved some money. If he passes his 3rd class it might be the first time that Ocha will get new clothes as he has been wearing second hand, mended and patched up school clothes for last few years. He was in deep thoughts when suddenly he heard the ringing bell sound and the teacher entered the class room for announcing the result. Teacher order the students to keep silent and started announcing the result. Ocha expectations were going out of control as long as the teacher was announcing names of the successful students. He was going crazy waiting for hearing good news from his teacher, but at that moment he got great shock when he heard his name as a fail student. All his hopes and dreams melt down in a while; tears came into his eyes from his heart and starts traveling on his cute innocent face. He felt great shame among his fellows who started laughing at him. He run away very fast towards his home and when he reached there his mother wasn’t present as she has gone to nearby fields to bring some grass hay for the cow. It was the first time Ocha failed in his class room and he didn’t know how to deal his parents due to a lot of fear. In this panic situation in hurry he took a piece of bread in his hand, left his home, start running fast towards Mardan city where he reached after 1 hour and saw a bus stopping at a roadside to pick a passenger. Moving behind the bus he silently climbed onto the buss roof through its back stairs and the bus starts its journey again towards its destination about which Ocha did not know where the bus is going to stop. On the other hand after his mother feed the cow, sitting outside in front of the house gate she was waiting for Ocha return as she also knew that today is his school result. Although she was poor but a lot of rich with heart that was full of love for her lovely son. All other students returned their homes but Ocha didn’t while she look again and again to the way leading to their home. As long as the time was passing, his mother was getting worried more and more. Until at noon when Ocha didn’t return she ran fastly towards the wheat fields shouting her husband from a long distance Tahir come here, Tahir come here soon. Her husband noticed that something is wrong and it is an emergency call from his wife. Therefore he left his work, ran very fast towards her where she informed him about Ocha not return to home. The poor worried parents start search for their loving son in streets of the village, look for him here and there, knocking every door, asking from his class fellows and everyone come in their way but nobody gave them any satisfactory response. After a long time when they got physically and mentally tired, finally the anxious parents along with other family members decided to involve local police in the matter. They reported in police station that Ocha came out from his home to school and did not return, missing from within the limits of the government primary school Mayar. His parents opined that Ocha might have been kidnapped not for ransom as they are poor a lot. But it was further reported that they are suspected of his kidnapping for other purposes. In the past few years child kidnapping has become a major concern for the Pakistani law enforcing agencies who are making sincere efforts to curb this heinous criminal menace. However, some powerful active organized criminals’ gangs abduct hundreds of children from different parts of the country and in other words this can be termed as a lucrative business for them. Then these children are relocated and subjected to forced labor in domestic servitude, might force for beggary, sex slavery, human vital organs trafficking and transplant, narcotics smuggling or even terrorist organizations use them for suicide bombing. Some gangs smuggled these children to foreign countries as well where they live at the mercy of their buyer. The troubled parents along with all family members, relatives and friends continued their search for him all the night in nearby fields, water wells and canals. Although local police were seriously looking the matter, however, worried sick parents were expressing dissatisfaction over investigation process because local police didn’t have had modern technology to apply for Ocha recovery. At about 11:30 PM when I (Asad Ali) was in sleep received an un-known call at my cell number introduced me himself as Mr. Faizan who was talking from Rawalpindi, a city near to country capital Islamabad. He requests me to please listen attentively for few minutes. I said OK and Mr. Faizan told me that today in front of his workshop which is situated opposite to Rawalpindi bus station he saw a child sitting there and was continuously weeping. When I approached him to ask why he is weeping, he was near to run away but was very tired. I grasped him although he tried a lot to freed himself. He was a lot of afraid, shivering and having high fever. I told him don’t afraid I want to help you and brought him inside my workshop. After some time I gave him some food and water as I felt he is with empty stomach. When he fully relaxed and realized that he is in safe hands then I asked him where you from and where are your parents. The child told me the whole story. His name is Naeem alias Ocha son of Tahir and doesn’t know his full residential address only know his village name Mayar. Also he is having an old school bag which is stitched at many places with old tore books in it. Mr. Faizan told me that before I bring the matter into police notice an idea come in my mind to look for help first through Google Maps. Then I start surfing on Google Maps for village Mayar where I found some of your Google Maps contributions as a local guide. Faizan said I pick your cell number mentioned in a place added by you in Google Maps and in this way I contacted you to help this missing child to reunite him safely back with his parents. Mr. Faizan further told that the child said when he come down from the bus roof into bus the station, two men standing there with a car called me come here and go with us. A tall man having big moustache in his face came behind me very fast and I got afraid run away. The man called the passengers seize him he is my son but in crowd I ran fast vanish myself from his sight, skulked under a bus. During this time other of his companion also reached and they started search for me. Continuously I was changing my position in the crowed as long as they reach near me and after about 2-3 hours search lastly they both returned empty handed, the child told. Mr. Faizan told me that now the child is with me in safe custody. I told Mr. Faizan to keep this innocent child in a safe place till morning, might he not slip and go in hands of criminal people. Everybody was in sleep that time therefore I told Mr. Faizan tomorrow I will search for his parents to find them out otherwise I will come Rawalpindi to bring this child back to his home at village Mayar. Then early morning I decided to bring the matter into the local police notice. On the way to police station on my bike I saw some people gathered in a public place along with a road side. I asked all of them “anybody knows or heard announcement through loudspeaker about missing of a child”. Luckily a neighbor of Ocha was there who gave me his parent’s address and when I reached there, met his parents I found them with tired and lazy faces. With grief in his mother eyes who was weeping terribly for her loved one crying “I am restless until to see my son”. Then in that troublesome situation when I informed them about Ocha, all of a sudden happiness returned and everybody sighed a breath of relief. And when I call on Mr. Faizan and Ocha parents talked their son, at that moment tears of happiness come in their eyes. All family members’ relatives and friends started congratulating each other and heartfelt best wishes shared with his parents. I told all of them this happened just because of Google Maps help. On the same day Mr. Faizan later on handed over Ocha to his parents when they meet him and their son returned safely back to his home.
For myself I love to use Google Maps and add usually prominent places to help everyone. After this child story as a Local Guide I am more passionate to make Google Maps more friendly because under that traumatic condition when hope was dying for his parents and well wishers, Google Maps amazing and magical service brought them out from that stressful condition.