American woman Onijah, abandoned in karachi, finally returns home

KARACHI: An American woman Onijah Andrew Robinson, who went all over the internet after being rejected by his 19-over-old lover in Karachi, finally left Pakistan on Friday night, police said.

The 33-year-old left the country by boarding a flight to New York last night following her discharge from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC).

A five-member medical board declared her fit for travel and she agreed to return to the United States after being persuaded by staff from the US Consulate in Karachi, ending the days-long drama of her staying in Karachi and engaging in quirky situations.

Karachi South DIG Police Syed Asad Raza said she was provided her ticket by the US government that listed her transit flight’s departure to Dubai for 10:40 pm on Friday.

Onijah Andrew Robinson had arrived in Karachi in October last year to meet 19-year-old Nidal Ahmed Memon, who she had befriended online.

However, the young man abandoned her after the rejection by his family and left the woman stranded in Karachi. Memon’s whereabouts remained unknown during Robinson’s stay in his country.

Robinson’s story came to light after JDC founder Zaffar Abbas shared it on social media, with Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori intervening to extend her expired visa and arrange a flight home.

She was stranded at Karachi Airport for a week due to the expiration of her tourist visa. The Sindh government and activist Zaffar Abbas arranged a visa for her, but, she refused to return to her country.

Refusing to return home, she spent nearly 30 hours outside Nidal’s apartment in Karachi’s Garden area before moving to a Chhipa welfare organisation’s shelter. She was later admitted to the psychiatric ward at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) after her health deteriorated.