A Pakistani TV show called Aman Ramazan is a religious game show where prizes are awarded to the audience for the correct answer. Questions are based on the Qur’an and prizes include household appliances, motorbikes and most surprisingly, babies.

The show is broadcast live daily for seven hours during the month of Ramadan and recently saw host Aamir Liaquat Hussain give an abandoned baby girl to a couple.

The mother who received the baby girl, Suriya Bilqees, said:

I was really shocked at first. I couldn’t believe we were being given this baby girl. I was extremely happy.

Host Aamir Liaquat Hussain added:

At Christmas there’s Santa Claus to give everyone gifts, it’s important for Christians. For us Ramadan is a really special time so it’s really important to make people happy and reward them.

The orphaned babies are from the NGO Chhipa Welfare Association. According to Ramzan Chhipa, who runs the organisation, they receive at least 15 babies every month. Chhipa said:

Our team finds babies abandoned on the street, in garbage bins — some of them dead, others mauled by animals. So why not ensure the baby is kept alive and gets a good home?

We didn’t just give the baby away. We have our own vetting procedure. This couple was already registered with us and had four or five sessions with us.

Of course the baby giveaways have received negative feedback. Some are of the opinion that “babies are not trophies to be handed to just anyone”. But Hussain thinks differently.

These are the disenfranchised babies that grow up to be street kids and used for suicide bombing attacks. We have tried to show an alternative.

Telling people to take these kids off the rubbish on the streets, raise them and make them a responsible citizen, not to destroy society through terrorism.

[Source: CNN, YouTube]