TV host gives away babies on live show

A Pakistani TV prime time talk show host has been giving away babies live on air. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, one of Pakistan’s most famous television personalities, gave two abandoned baby girls to couples without children last month and plans to give away an infant boy this week.

“If we didn’t find this baby, a cat or a dog would have eaten it,” Hussain said during one broadcast. His audience applauded as he handed over one of the baby girls to her new parents.

“I was really shocked at first. I couldn’t believe we were being given this baby girl,” Suriya Bilqees, a new mother of a two-week old, told CNN. “I was extremely happy.”

Hussain’s show, Aman Ramzan, focuses on religious and social issues. He usually gives away prizes like motorbikes, mobile phones and land deeds to audience members who answer questions about Islam.

The abandoned babies were rescued by the Chhipa Welfare Association, a Pakistani aid organization.

Ramzan Chhipa, head of the organization, saw it as a positive move.

“In a day or two, the next baby will be given away, God willing,” he told Reuters on Thursday.

“Our team finds babies abandoned on the street, in garbage bins -- some of them dead, others mauled by animals. So why not ensure the baby is kept alive and gets a good home?

“We didn’t just give the baby away. We have our own vetting procedure. This couple was already registered with us and had four or five sessions with us,” he added.