Paralysed Pakistani uses nose to host website

A 22-year-old paralysed Pakistani has hosted a website -- keying in its contents with his nose -- to encourage people with disabilities never to give up.

"My name is Waqas Ahmed. I was born in 1985 and soon realised that I was not able to use my hands and my legs the way other people could," Ahmed writes on his website waqasonline.com.

"I accepted this challenge and started using the computer with my nose. I worked hard day and night to become something.

"I have now completed my diploma in e-commerce, and now I am a web designer and developer," wrote Ahmed, whose lower middle-class family moved from Balakot in the North West Frontier Province to Lahore to help him have a better life.

Ahmed was a normal child till illness struck him when he was five years old and disabled him. Ahmed, who was never admitted to school and is completely self-taught, now intends to host a special section for the disabled on his website.

"I want people with disabilities not to give up hope," said Ahmed, whose speech is difficult to comprehend. "If I can do it so can anybody else."

Rana Taiyab Arfani, a 55-year-old visually impaired man, has already signed into the special section for people with disabilities.

But Ahmed's website is not his only passion -- he spends a lot of time gardening and likes travelling too.

"I get seeds of different flowers and sow them in a small plot in front of my house," he wrote on his website. "Whenever I get tired or become sad, I sit in the company of these attractive flowers."

Ahmed has a lot of friends and people send him fan mail on his portal. "I am really proud of you. You are a very positive person. Keep striving for the best and you will conquer your dreams. You are better than most people who are completely fine," an unnamed fan wrote in the website's guest book.

"We are so proud of you and feel shamed of ourselves for not trying hard enough despite being gifted with excellent bodies. You are inspirational," wrote another person.

Ahmed, who has been featured in special programmes on several Pakistani TV channels, thanks two of his teachers for encouraging him to go on with life. He also credits a lot of his success to his computer teacher who let him enrol for a course despite his disabilities.

Hats Off

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