Kottayam: At a time when Pakistan is being accused of backing terrorists against India, a good number of poor Pakistanis are thronging hospitals in India for quality treatment.

One such teenaged patient and his family is obliged to get free treatment at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi.

Idris Ariyan,14, and his family from Faisalabad run short of words to express their gratitude to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the Indian High Commissioner, AIMS and the Rotary Club for making him well.

Arian was suffering from congenital heart diseases and doctors in Pakistan said his life was in danger and that he should undergo operation immediately. As treatment was so expensive in Pakistan, his parents lost all hopes. It was at this time they came to know about ‘Gift of Life of Rotary Club’ offering treatment in India.

The Rotary Club in Pakistan in coordination with its counterpart in India tried to take the patient across the border with the help of Dr A C Peter in India.

But tough visa regulations stood in the way, and facilitators made a last bid by approaching the External Affairs Minister who solved the problem and put the condition that the patient should not leave the hospital premises.

They reached here on August 30 and the operation was held on September 2 by Dr P K Bijesh and Dr R Krishna Kumar.

The patient with family is set to go back the best of memories.