Kashmiri man puts his kidney for sale in Newspaper to pay debt

KASHMIR: In a heart-wrenching incident that took place in South Kashmir's Quazigund, a young Kashmiri man put up an advertisement in a local newspaper looking for prospective buyers for one of his kidneys. The twenty-eight year old man named Sabzar Ahmad Khan has been undergoing extreme financial crisis on top of which he even owes a debt of over 90 lakhs. Finding a way out to pay off his creditors, Khan ultimately decided to put his organ for sale, even if he knew his act would be considered illegal in India.

A government-registered contractor who is also engaged in buying and selling old cars, Khan has said that he suffered huge losses in his livelihood ever since Article 370 was abrogated in Kashmir; henceforth, his condition has only worsened with the ongoing Covid lockdown. Reportedly, Sabzar published his ad in a Srinagar-based English daily called Kashmir Reader and it read: "I want to sell my kidney because I have lost everything in business but I am still indebted to pay 90 lakh rupees. I request anyone in need of a kidney to contact me."

Serving as the single breadwinner for a family of 6, the liabilities on Khan increased as he said had nothing left with him while all his creditors waited to be paid. His debts amount to 61 lakhs taken from the Bank and 30 lakhs from various people. He also said that owing to his inability to face these people, he has confined himself to his home while his younger brother tries to earn livelihood.

When asked about responses received from the advertisement, Khan said that several people called him enquiring about the offer. "One of the callers offered Rs 20 lakh and another Rs 25 lakh. I will be holding further discussions with the parties to get the best offer", he said.

Notably, Khan who was just married last year, said that he has not hidden his decision about selling his organ from his family and that they are aware of the newspaper ad too. He lastly mentioned that although he knows selling one of his kidneys will not completely unburden him, he is still looking for ways to resolve his liabilities so that he could move out of his house with dignity and respect. Nevertheless, a ray of hope lingers as some of his neighbours have come out and sought to support him financially.

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