A game show host in Pakistan has prompted fury by giving away abandoned babies to would-be parents live on TV. The host, Aamir Liaquat-Hussain, has given away two babies so far - to cheering crowds - and is planning a third giveaway.
He insisted the babies would have been "eaten by cats or dogs" had they not been discovered by the show. Mr. Hussain is one of Pakistan's most popular talk show hosts.
During his marathon broadcasts he cooks, interviews clerics and celebrities, entertains children and hosts games.
He usually gives prizes like motorbikes, mobile phones and land deeds to audience members who answer questions about Islam.
But at the beginning of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, when television stations battle fiercely for ratings, Mr Hussain astonished viewers when he presented two families with babies.
Babies rescued by welfare association
"We were told that we had passed all the interviews and had been selected to adopt a baby," said Riaz Uddin, 40, an engineer.
"We got our baby on live TV."
The abandoned babies were rescued by the Chhipa Welfare Association, a Pakistani aid organisation.
"In a day or two, the next baby will be given away, God willing," its head, Ramzan Chhipa, said.
While the Chhipa teams scour the garbage dumps and other sites for discarded newborns, Mr. Hussain is also appealing for babies directly.
"If any family cannot afford to bring up their newborn baby due to poverty or illness then instead of killing them, they should hand over the baby to Dr Aamir," a notice on his website reads.
The children would be given to deserving couples on air, the notice said. Many Pakistanis expressed disgust that abandoned babies were being given away in what they see as an attempt to boost ratings.
But Mr. Hussain insists the two couples were pre-screened for their suitability as parents.
One of the couples said they married more than 15 years ago but have been unable to have their own child. The host says he is right to find good homes for abandoned babies in a country without official laws of adoption.
"We are trying to create an environment in the society for those people who are needy and want to adopt babies," Mr. Hussain said.
