A Pakistani television show has suprised the country by giving abandonded babies to unsuspecting childless couples
Syed Zulfiqar Hussein and wife Suriya Bilqees had no idea they'd be handed a two-week old baby girl when they were invited to be part of the show.
"I was really shocked at first. I couldn't believe we were being given this baby girl. I was extremely happy", says Bilqees.
They're the second couple to be given a baby on TV.
Television host Aamir Liaquat Husain denies his program is trivialising the issue of abandoned children, saying it is important to make people happy at Ramadan.
"We've created a symbol of peace and love, that's our show's theme, to spread love. I'm setting an example, giving a childless couple an abandoned child", he says.
The program joined forces with NGO the Chhipa Foundation to raise awareness of the issue.
"Our team finds babies abandoned on the street, some of them dead, in garbage cans, others mauled by animals. So why not ensure the baby is kept alive and gets a good home?", says the foundation's Ramzan Chhipa.
The couple, who had been registered with the NGO, will have to apply for guardianship of the baby at a family court.
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