Pakistani teen hero saves five lives; honoured with road and hospital in his name

Dubai: A 14-year-old boy from Mardan, Pakistan, has become a national symbol of compassion and courage after his organs were donated to save five critically ill patients, an act now etched into the country’s collective memory.

Jawad Khan, a student from the village of Rustam, suffered fatal head injuries in a road accident and was declared brain-dead at Peshawar’s Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC). In a moment of profound humanity, his family chose to donate his liver, kidneys, and corneas offering the gift of life to five people in desperate need.

Legacy lives on

In recognition of this life-affirming decision, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province in Pakistan announced that a local road and hospital will be renamed in Jawad’s honour. The family was also honoured in a heartfelt ceremony at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar.

A medical milestone

The organ retrieval took place in a meticulously coordinated operation involving several top-tier institutions: HMC, the Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD), the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology (PICO), the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI), and Bahria International Hospital.

Oversight and ethical compliance were ensured by the Medical Transplant Regulatory Authority (MTRA), under the leadership of Administrator Prof. Dr. Asif Malik. A late-night virtual meeting on June 5 finalised the allocation of organs, with Retired Major General Amjad Fahim, Chairman of the MTI-HMC Board of Governors, overseeing strict adherence to legal and administrative procedures, according to travelsdubai.com report.

KPK Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur praised the Khan family’s “shining example of humanity.” In a symbolic moment, Jawad’s father was invited to sit in the chairperson’s seat, an emotional tribute to a family whose strength gave others a second chance at life.

Inspiring change beyond grief

Jawad’s body was returned to his village for burial, but his story has stirred national reflection and renewed calls for organ donation awareness. Health officials confirmed that every stage, from the certification of brain death to organ transport and allocation, was handled with the utmost care and transparency.

In the coming weeks, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will launch a public awareness campaign inspired by Jawad’s story, aiming to increase donor registrations and challenge persistent cultural stigmas around organ donation in Pakistan.