“It’s his haq! His right. I don’t want to die without repaying his loan.”
Pakistan national Asadullah Ahmadjan has been desperately looking for an Emirati named Noman for two years to repay the remainder of a loan. Finally, in desperation, he wrote to Gulf News, asking for our help to track down this Good Samaritan who had come to his aid in a time of crisis.
“I came to the UAE as a 19-year-old about 14 years ago. It was 2005. My father owned an abaya shop in Ras Al Khaimah called Kharz. It was doing well. I joined him after completing my Bachelor of Arts.”
The teenager travelled from Quetta in Pakistan to help his father in the business. He was a fast learner and soon his father handed over the entire control of the shop to him.
Building a friendship
“After a year of my coming to the UAE, my father went back to Pakistan. He would visit once in six months for about 10 days. Business was good. I’ve always had a special skill in dealing with my customers. There was this particular person, Noman, he was an Emirati who would visit the shop regularly with his family.
“A very good, kind, gentle man. We developed a good friendship.”
Asadullah worked hard and grew the business, enough to acquire a second shop. Business was booming. He enrolled for a Bachelor of Business Administration course in Ras Al Khaimah. Then he heard about the plight of a close friend. He had fallen into bad times. The young man stepped in to help and asked his friend to come on board as a business partner. Perhaps that was the worst decision. His kindness was repaid with bankruptcy.
“He caused me immense losses, about Dh600,000. It was too much. I had debtors calling all the time. It was truly horrible and then my father suffered two heart attacks.
As they say it never rains but it pours, trouble poured in from all sides. Around that time one of the people to whom I had given a cheque for Dh10,000 started calling because it was not being honoured. I spoke to Noman, asking him for a loan of Dh10,000. He listened and then said that he would reply in two days’ time, which he did. He asked me to go to his home in Dubai and pick up the amount.
“As they say it never rains but it pours, trouble poured in from all sides. Around that time one of the people to whom I had given a cheque for Dh10,000 started calling because it was not being honoured. I spoke to Noman, asking him for a loan of Dh10,000.
Help in time of need
“He listened and then said that he would reply in two days’ time, which he did. He asked me to go to his home in Dubai and pick up the amount. I don’t exactly remember where I went, because I had spent all my time in Ras Al Khaimah, so was unfamiliar with Dubai.
“Any way I reached his home, and he handed me the money saying that the amount belonged to his wife. I thanked him profusely. He told me to repay it in small amounts because he said that he understood my financial crisis.
“So, I did that. I repaid him Dh8,000 over a period of six months. After that, the hounding by the many others I owed money too became too much to bear. I rented out the shop, left Ras Al Khaimah, changed my phone number a couple of times and moved to Ajman, where I made a fresh start. This was about four years’ ago, in 2015.”
A good man should be repaid
Asadullah struggled, but slowly and surely he managed to pay each of his debtors back. It was a long journey but he was determined to right all the wrongs.
“Today by the grace of God, I am doing fine. I’m married, I have four kids, my father is doing fine, too. I can easily send money home. But, I could never find Noman, as I had lost his number when I changed my phone number. And I have no clear idea of where he lives in Dubai. It’s been two years since I started my quest. I’m hoping this report will reach him, and I can repay my debt to this kind man. I don't ever want him to think that he helped someone in a time of need and they cheated him. Kindness and decency should never be punished. It should be honoured.”
If you have any leads, please contact Gulf News on readers@gulfnews.com or call us 04-4067666.
