Background

The story of MIND goes back to 1992. Prof. Dr. Sa'ad B. Malik was approached by one of his friends who told him about a shrine 300 miles from Lahore where mentally sick patients are chained to trees because the local belief is that the saint who's buried there, with his blessings all mentally ill patients are cured. So, he went with him and saw that terrible sight. People of all ages, men, women, old people, young people, each was tied to a tree in the desert. And that was their bathroom, that was their drawing room, that was their bed room. They ate there, they relieved themselves there, they slept there. And this was not for a day, this was not for a week, this was for months and years.

And this was big business for the religious guides (Peers) there. Because every patient who was brought there, they charged money for the chain and locks that were given to the patient's family. And then they would put some liquid in the lock with the chain and used to say that this will open when they will get treated on their own. He came back on that hot June afternoon to Lahore, all the journey he was thinking about it. He had two choices. One was just saying how bad and terrible it is and forget about it saying It's not my business. Or strive to do something about it. So, he opted for the second part. Dr. Sa'ad got together with some of his students, junior colleagues and formed a charity organization, with the name of MIND and prioritizing what mattered.