Brother Of Pakistani Man Stuck İn Syria Calls For Help

Brother of a Pakistani man, who along with his wife trapped in Syria's besieged Eastern Ghouta district, has called on the Pakistani government to help rescue the couple.



Around 400,000 civilians in Eastern Ghouta have been struggling to survive since the war in Syria started in 2011.



Due to a regime blockade on the district, they cannot access food or medicine and must try to survive with their own resources.



Mahmoud Fadel Ikram, 72, is one of the thousands of people suffering from the regime siege on Eastern Ghouta.



Along with his 62-year-old wife, Sekral Bibi, Ikram settled in the district's Jobar neighborhood after coming from Pakistan in 1975 in search of employment.



But when the war started in 2011, their lives fell apart. They now live in a makeshift home, raising poultry and sheep and waiting for help.



Last week, Ikram told Anadolu Agency that he want to go back to Pakistan and called on Islamabad to rescue him and his wife from extremely difficult circumstances.



- 'Good news'



Muhammad Ashraf, brother of Ikram, expressed his joy after learning the "good news" about his brother. "He is alive. Thanks God."



Ikram last time visited his native Behal Zair village of Tehsil Kharian in Gujrat district, some 200 kilometers from Islamabad, in 1981 and spent time with his brothers Muhammad Ashraf and Muhammad Hanif.



"He [Ikram] didn't come back despite our repeated requests," 78-year-old Ashraf told Anadolu Agency.



Ashraf couldn't stop his tear when he watched the video of his brother. "I am really grateful to you (Anadolu Agency) to reach here and give us good news about my brother."



"I request the government to bring my brother back as he is facing deteriorating situation in Syria. We have no resources to reach him," Ashraf said.



Muhammad Hanif, Ikram's youngest brother died some five years ago. Ikram's daughter, who is already married, lives in the native village.



Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.



Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10 million displaced, according to claims by the UN. -