Watch: This Man From Pakistan Has Been Eating Stones for 12 Years

He stomachs at least 150 grams of stones and gravels daily and boasts of a healthy set of teeth.

Liaqat Ali from Pakistan consumes stones everyday.

(Photo: AP/Caters Screengrab)

At a ripe age when pensioners start loosing teeth and depend on soft and liquid diets, a Pakistani taxi driver surprises everyone with his appetite for stones.

Liaquat Ali, 65, from Mardan, Pakistan, is addicted to consuming stones and gravels since the age of 53.

The old man breaks stones into small pieces and effortlessly chews them down like a normal meal. In a day, he stomachs at least 150 grams of stones and gravel and boasts of a healthy set of teeth.

Despite his insistence that eating stones has done him no harm, the grandfather displays symptoms of the Pica eating disorder that is characterised by the desire to eat items with little or no nutritional value.

Pica sufferers usually eat stones, sand, paint and dirt and also run the risk of being poisoned and not gaining enough essential nutrients in their diet.

But Ali rejects any suggestion to curb the addiction.

I always keep a bag full of stones in my taxi. I can skip meals but not eating stones...My eating habits have no side effects. My teeth are absolutely fine, so there is no question for me to stop eating stones... I have not suffered any illness due to this habit.      

Liaqat Ali

For years, Ali's family members and friends have tried to dissuade him from eating stones but nothing has worked so far.

Ali's eldest son, Ahsan Ur Rehman says: "We have been telling him that it can be dangerous for his health but he doesn't listen to us. He always says that he is addicted to eating stones like people are to smoking and drinking."

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj