Every night, hundreds endure sleeplessness on Lahore’s streets. Many are labourers who have migrated to the city in search of employment. Soaring rents leave them with no option but to sleep on the roadsides. The urban homeless are mostly economic migrants, though many are also pushed out by mental and physical disabilities.

Among these individuals are those who hear none of the city’s noise as a drug-filled haze engulfs their senses, quashing their dreams and leaving their skeletal bodies craving only the painful needles that numb their reality. They often fail to fully realize the devastating impact these substances have on their weary minds and bodies.

Forced to live in unhygienic conditions and disconnected from social life, these individuals are frequently denied access to social and medical services because they lack valid identity documents. Reported figures suggest that nearly 2,000 people have lost their lives over the past couple of years while living on the streets. However, it would be imprudent to assume these numbers accurately represent the full extent of the challenge.

Nisar is one such soul lost to the city. Found quivering on a footpath, the malnourished man once had a home. Discovered by Saleeha Noor of the Shauoor Welfare Foundation, Nisar’s case starkly illustrates how homelessness, lack of proper medical care, and societal neglect can chip away at a person’s dignity — even in death.

His situation highlights the harsh reality faced by many displaced from their homes due to mental health challenges. Initially found lying on a footpath — dishevelled, unshaven, malnourished, and in pain under the scorching July sun — Nisar died a month later after a short stay in hospital.

Nisar’s story raises critical concerns regarding the provision of care to persons without identity documents, especially those with mental health issues who are unable to advocate for themselves or access services that would acknowledge their status as named citizens. Refused admission by several public healthcare centres because his condition did not fall under medico-legal criteria, and lacking any proof of identity, Nisar could not receive timely care until it was too late.

He was finally admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Known either as Nisar or Mehtab, or by some other name unknown to caretakers, he initially began to regain his health. Once able to speak a little, he shared that he once had a home somewhere in Mughalpura, where his relatives lived. He mentioned brothers and sisters-in-law, but why he left home, or if he was forced out due to his altered mental status, remains a mystery.

Hospitals in Lahore face an overwhelming daily influx of patients. Shortages of staff and equipment, overworked doctors and nurses, and constant scrutiny have put public sector hospitals in the city under immense stress. With economic and fiscal challenges multiplying daily, providing healthcare support and quality care to an ever-growing, financially vulnerable population has become a significant struggle.

Nisar’s case highlights a deeper issue: the difficulty of providing adequate care to persons without identity documents, especially those with mental health challenges who cannot represent themselves or access services that recognize their citizenship. Many such individuals die nameless, unidentified, and forgotten.

The city bustles around their limp bodies until someone notices the stench of rotting flesh. Buried equally unceremoniously, these persons are lost forever. Lahore engulfs them.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1346834-no-city-for-the-nameless