Blackburn parents’ highly qualified children make them proud

The Buttar family faced many hardships when they first arrived in the UK

Proud parents Hafeez and Yasmin Buttar, who first arrived in the UK in 2001, celebrated their daughter Hania’s graduation from Cardiff University after completing a five-year course.

This was a special occasion as all three children of the couple – Hamid, Salman, and Hania, who were six, four and two years old respectively when they came to the UK, are now qualified doctors. 

All three children, despite not knowing how to speak English in the beginning, performed very well at school and got straight A’s when they were studying at Beardwood High School and Pleckgate High School, and showed remarkable academic performance in A-levels.

Hafeez is a cab driver, who emigrated from Firozwala near Lahore, Pakistan to Blackburn. He revealed that it was not easy for the family to settle down in the country at first and they even had their windows smashed when they moved to the Livesey area, which led them to shift to Malham Gardens. The Buttars eventually settled down in Lincoln Road, Audley.

Remembering the difficult times for the family, Hafeez said, “It was a difficult period and one which the whole family went through.

At the time though we had a dream that they would all become doctors. It is wonderful that they have.”

Hania, the youngest in the family, who followed the footsteps of her elder brothers Hamid, 27, and Salman, 25, is the first female doctor in the family.

She said, “I always felt it would be a shame if we didn’t study.

We saw the sacrifices our parents put in and we wanted to honour those sacrifices.

My dad would work some crazy hours to ensure we were financially stable and my mum was always there and never complained once.

Although my brothers went to private school – QEGS – for their A-levels I just told my dad at the time I couldn’t expect him to do it a third time.

I always thought it matters more on the student themselves and if they have the determination to succeed.”

She added, “Medicine is hard work and can be stressful. It is a reality check and in many ways shows you the fragility of life.

But it is fulfilling in so many ways. I am certainly looking towards the future.”