MIANWALI, July 11 Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took a prompt notice of a news item regarding miseries of a family from Mianwali and ordered free treatment to the ailing children on government expense.

On the directive of the chief minister, Mianwali DCO Tariq Mehmood along with this correspondent visited the house of Abdul Razzaq on Sunday and inquired after his ailing children.

The DCO informed the poor family that the chief minister had ordered to provide free treatment to the children.

Abdul Razzaq told the DCO that a couple of days ago a DHQ Hospital doctor had referred his children to an orthopaedic surgeon of Benazir Shaheed Hospital, Rawalpindi by diagnosing the disease as muscular dystrophy.

However, he said he could not afford to take his ailing children to Rawalpindi for the treatment.

The DPO also collected details of Razzaq's pending appeal lying with the IGP since 1999 against his compulsory retirement from the police service due to his forced absence from the duty.

The police informed Razzaq that the IGP had directed them to gather particulars of his service appeal for early decision on the same.

Razzaq, who was recruited as constable in Dera Ghazi Khan in 1984, had contracted marriage with his first cousin.

The couple had two daughters and four sons. Bad luck struck this family when their eldest daughter at the age of six started losing walking power due to a mysterious muscular disease and was bed-ridden.

The poor constable tried his best for her treatment but she died at the age of 12. Subsequently, his other children -- Sohail (11), Shoaib (7) and Samia (9) -- also suffered the same disease at the age of six.

Untold tribulations compounded when Razzaq lost his police service because of his forced absence from duty due to his shuttling between Mianwali and DG Khan for the treatment of his children.

His service appeal against the compulsory retirement is still pending with the IGP since July 24, 1999, with no prospects of early decision despite orders of the high court on Oct 23, 2009, in a writ petition filed by Abdul Razzaq.

The loss of job made him homeless and he was forced to live in a one-room rented house along with his ailing children.

It is learnt that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has also announced Rs500,000 for the treatment of the ailing children.