ISLAMABAD (AP) — Five years ago, a devastating road accident cost a young Pakistani man both of his legs. But rather than accept a life on the sidelines, he found a way to get back on the road.
Hamza Ali, now 28 years old, works as a food delivery rider in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad, navigating the streets on a motorcycle he had specially fitted with hand-operated controls.
Speaking with The Associated Press on a sweltering day, Ali recalled that he had already been working in food delivery before the crash — riding for foodpanda, a delivery platform — when a bus he was traveling on collided with a truck, changing his life forever.
“After that accident, the first six months of my life were extremely difficult,” he said. “Then I told myself, ‘Ali, you have to do something on your own.’”
What followed was nearly three years of frustration. Back in his hometown of Multan, Ali searched for work but was repeatedly turned away by employers who dismissed him because of his disability. In 2023, a friend suggested he try Islamabad, where the capital’s broader roads would make it easier to operate a modified motorcycle.
Ali took the advice, relocated, used his own savings to adapt his bike, and reached out to foodpanda to have his rider account restored. The company had just one question for him — was he confident he could handle the job? He said yes.
Since coming back to work, Ali has earned a reputation as one of the best-performing riders among his colleagues.
He has little patience for the pity that people sometimes direct toward those living with disabilities.
“I never ask for money. I can earn my own living,” he said. “People just think that because you are disabled, you are no good.” Ali credits his mother as his greatest source of support, saying her encouragement to focus on what was still possible kept him going.
Ali’s story reflects a broader challenge facing millions of people across Pakistan who live with disabilities and routinely encounter obstacles in finding work, getting around, and participating in society. A national census conducted in 2023 put the share of Pakistanis with a disability at 3.1% of the population, though human rights advocates believe the actual number is considerably higher.
