Pakistani boy's family thank Scots for giving him '˜second chance at life'

A young boy who was flown to Scotland from Pakistan as a baby for life-saving medical treatment after a gas explosion at his home killed his parents and brother has met the First Minister.

Mohammad Sudais was injured in a gas explosion. Picture: JustGiving

Mohammad Sudais was just two months old when he was seriously injured in the blast in Peshawar in December 2013.

The accident claimed the lives of his father Mohammad Ameen, 30, mother Sumaira, 28, and 13-month-old brother Abdul Haseeb.

A campaign by his Glasgow-based uncle, Mohammed Asif, and Positive Action in Housing raised thousands of pounds for him to be brought to Scotland for life-saving treatment.

The campaign was supported by the Scottish Government, and baby Mohammad arrived in Glasgow in February 2014. He spent seven months in the city’s Yorkhill hospital and underwent 13 operations after suffering third-degree burns.

Yesterday the two-year-old and his relatives travelled to Holyrood from their home in Glasgow to meet Nicola Sturgeon.

Mr Asif said: “Our family know that if it wasn’t for the Scottish Government, all the staff at Yorkhill Hospital and the people of Scotland, baby Mohammad would not have had the second chance at life.

“This act of kindness makes Scotland the best place on earth to live in. Baby Mohammad is lucky to be a part of this great country.”