PESHAWAR: “If she recovers, return her back to Afghanistan. If she dies, bury her in Pakistan,” a desperate mother said in a message to relatives as she left her ailing daughter with strangers on a third failed attempt to cross the Pakistani-Afghan border in late January.

The young woman could not obtain documents to travel alone with the child from Jalalabad.

The people who carried five-year-old Kainat through the checkpoint kept their word and brought the girl to Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But her relatives could not afford proper medical help. The child’s health quickly deteriorated.

A near miracle saved Kainat when health workers discovered her during a polio vaccination campaign. She was in critical condition from measles complications.

The health officers immediately reached Islam Badshah, a social worker and driver at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Authority. He brought the girl to Rehman Medical Institute (RMI) in Peshawar and started a campaign to finance her treatment.

The hospital’s administration soon decided to cover all expenses.

RMI spokesman Sajjad Khan told Arab News on Thursday that “Kainat’s treatment is fully free of charge and the on the arrival of her parent the collected amount will also be handed to them.”

The girl’s measles infection was not treated properly when she contracted it and the virus affected her brain and liver. Kainat “still needs treatment although she is recovering now,” Khan said. Doctors request that her mother should as soon as possible be with the child for psychological support, he added.

Badshah’s campaign on Facebook also immediately brought the attention of both Pakistani and Afghan officials.

KP Chief Minister’s spokesman Syed Furqan Kakakhel said the provincial government will help the girl’s family in coming to Peshawar on an emergency basis.

“The world is witness that in every ordeal the government and people of Pakistan have assist Afghan brethren and this legacy of love and cooperation will be carry on,” he said.

Naseer Ahmad of the Afghan consulate in Peshawar confirmed to Arab News that the mission is also making efforts to reunite Kainat with her mother.

“We are grateful to the Pakistani government and people. Such acts will definitely increase trust levels between us,” he said.

The efforts have already succeeded in bringing the girl’s grandmother from Jalalabad to Peshawar. She is now with her granddaughter at RMI.

“We were not able to afford to travel with her,” Said Maroo told Arab News on Thursday evening. “When we learnt that she is receiving treatment at the best hospital, we prayed for all those who helped us.”