KARACHI: A charismatic Muslim preacher criticised for giving out babies to childless couples on prime-time Pakistani television denies he is fighting a ratings war and insists he is spreading charity.
Aamir Liaqat Hussain spoke to journalists as a local foundation involved in the process said a third baby was due to be given away in the coming days.
Hussain broadcasts a marathon 12-hour show each day during Ramadan, watched by millions.
He mesmerises his audience with celebrity interviews, game shows, in-studio meals for the needy and in two consecutive weeks, handing out baby girls to childless couples. But international media coverage and public criticism of the baby give-aways have seen him deny that he is pulling out all the stops to maximise ratings in a competitive Ramadan TV market.
“It is not like parents come in the show, and (we) deliver the baby like a prize. What prize? It is rubbish to say ‘who wants to win a baby?’” he said.
He insists the two couples were screened for their suitability as parents, and says he is right to find good homes for abandoned babies in a country without laws of adoption. “We are trying to create an environment in society for those who want to adopt babies. It is not commercialisation, it is not showbiz. It is real Islam. Where are the actors? Where are actresses? I have not seen any actors or actresses here,” he added.
A local charity said it was involved in the screening process before the babies were handed over. It supported the show for discouraging women from abandoning unwanted babies and men from divorcing wives who cannot give birth. “We give adoption to those couples on merit,” said Ramzan Chhipa, head of the Chhipa Welfare Association. He said both couples had been screened and went on the show expecting to be given infants. A third baby is expected to be handed over in coming days, Chhipa said. “It is not ‘you answer a question on a show and you get a baby’. This is false.”
One of the couples said they got married more than 15 years ago but have been unable to have their child. They registered with Chhipa and said they were interviewed earlier this month, before the programme rang them up the day before the show was aired, asking them to appear.
“I cannot express in words our happiness. There was a great void in our life and that is filled by having this baby,” said Said Zulfiqar Hussain, a policeman from Karachi. “This child is the future of Pakistan,” said Soreya Bilqees who dreams her daughter will grow up and join the army.
Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Chairman of the Mass Communications Department at the Federal Urdu University, said the baby give-away had taken the controversy to a new level. “They have adopted the role of reformers whereas they are entertainers. Giving away babies on the show sends negative signals to society and should be very discreet. They claim to reduce poverty through giving away gifts but they are hurting the self-respect of poor people on their shows in the race for ratings and to attract more advertisements,” he added. AFP
