Hamza Ali’s Unbreakable Drive: From Dual Amputation to Top Foodpanda Rider in Islamabad

Islamabad – At the age of 22, Hamza Ali lost both legs in a road accident five years ago, yet he refuses to let the tragedy dictate his future.

At 28, Hamza Ali now delivers meals across Islamabad on a specially modified motorcycle equipped with hand‑operated controls.

Speaking to The Associated Press under a scorching sun, Ali recounted how he had been working for the delivery platform foodpanda before the crash. “A bus he was riding collided with a truck,” he said.

“After that accident, the first six months of my life were extremely difficult,” he said. “Then I told myself, ‘Ali, you have to do something on your own.’”

After nearly three years of job hunting in his hometown of Multan, where employers dismissed him because of his disability, Ali moved to Islamabad in 2023. A friend’s suggestion that the capital’s broader streets would ease his ride proved decisive.

Using his own savings, he retrofitted his motorcycle and petitioned foodpanda to reinstate his rider account. The company posed a single question: whether he felt confident he could safely perform the job. He answered affirmatively.

Since his return, colleagues rank him among the platform’s top performers.

Ali pushes back against the pity often extended to people with disabilities.

“I never ask for money. I can support myself,” he asserted. “People assume that because I’m disabled, I’m not capable.” He credits his mother as his greatest source of encouragement, saying she urged him to focus on what remains possible.

Pakistan’s disability community, estimated at roughly 3.1% of the population according to a 2023 census, frequently confronts obstacles in employment, mobility and social inclusion. Human‑rights groups believe the actual number is significantly higher.

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