“I was born in Faisalabad, the fourth of seven brothers. When I was a young, my father worked in various factories for a living. When I was four, I came down with a fever and lost the use of both my legs. My parents were already not that interested in sending their children to school – none of my brothers have received a formal education – and then my disability made it even harder for me to go to school.

Later on, my father found work as a labourer in Islamabad and our family moved to Rawalpindi. My three older brothers found work in the Cattle Market and were able to afford living on their own. I started working as a tailor and worked at a shop near the Pirwadhai bus stand, and was eventually able to save enough to start a small business of my own. I now sell inflatable toys with my younger brother in various places in Rawalpindi, including Ayub Park and on Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Road, which are where I sell the most toys.

I got married two years ago. Everything was fine in the beginning, but after some time, she said she could not live with my disability anymore. We started fighting a lot and one day she left and asked for a divorce. I tried to convince her to stay many times, but she said she wanted to leave. So I divorced her, and now I have decided to never marry again.”