Pakistani Man Remains Missing in Dubai Since 1978

Khalid Bashir Bhatti, a 38-year-old garment factory worker from Sialkot, Pakistan, has issued an emotional appeal for any clues regarding his elder brother, Mohammed Afzal Bhatti, who disappeared in Dubai back in 1978.

Khalid has never met Afzal, but his mission is deeply personal: to provide answers for their elderly father, Mohammed Bashir Bhatti, who has spent nearly half a century longing to know what happened to his son.

Afzal, an air conditioning technician, moved to Dubai in 1976, settling in the Deira neighborhood near the former Kader Hotel. This area, a hub for South Asian expatriates at the time, became his home. During his two years in the city, Afzal remained in touch with his family, sending letters and gifts that maintained their connection across borders.

But in 1978, all communication from Afzal abruptly stopped. In his last letter, he had mentioned a disagreement with a roommate. Concerned, his father wrote back, advising him to move out and not let the situation cause him undue stress. However, the family never heard from him again.

“That was the last piece of news we had from him,” Khalid shared in a phone interview with Khaleej Times.

Friends later found his belongings in their shared flat, but Afzal had disappeared. We don’t know if he left due to depression or if there was an altercation with his roommate. Back then, without computerised ID records or family connections in Dubai, finding him became an impossible task. It was as if he vanished.

A Family’s Lingering Heartache

Khalid, the youngest of five siblings, learned about his missing brother while in 10th grade. His parents and sisters had kept the story from him during his early years, fearing it might confuse or distress him. By the time Khalid uncovered the truth, Afzal felt more like a myth than a real person.

The unresolved loss deeply affected the family over the years. Determined to find answers, Khalid reached out to the Pakistani embassy in Dubai several times, but the decades-long gap made it nearly impossible to trace Afzal.

My mother passed away in 2002 without ever knowing what became of her eldest son,” Khalid said. “My father, now in his 80s, still waits for news. His health is deteriorating, but he clings to the hope that Afzal might walk through the door one day. We just need closure — whether he’s alive or not.

Turning to Social Media for Help

Khalid has now turned to social media and news outlets, hoping to widen the search. “If my brother is alive, he would be 68 years old today. We have an old photograph of him with some friends from 1977. My hope is that someone in that picture might still be in Dubai and can shed light on his fate, Khalid explained.

It’s a slim chance, but we’re praying for a miracle.

Khalid is prepared to travel anywhere, including Dubai, in pursuit of answers.

We need to know whether to keep waiting for him or to pray for his soul. This uncertainty has weighed on my father and sisters for far too long.

Anyone with information about Mohammed Afzal Bhatti or his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the family. Khalid’s plea is simple: “We don’t want anything else. We just want closure for a pain that has lasted far too long.”

Via: Khaleej Times