LAHORE: Hameeda Bano, an Indian national from Mumbai, has finally returned to her homeland after spending 22 long years in Pakistan. Her journey began in 2002 when she was lured to Pakistan by an agent who promised her a lucrative job in Dubai.
However, she soon found herself stranded in Hyderabad, Pakistan, with no job in sight.
After several months of hardship, Hameeda Bano eventually married a Karachi man, and thus began the years of their lives together. While she found joy in some years of her life, it was mainly spent solo with a stepson after her husband’s death during the pandemic years.
In a twist of fate, it was after this that the saga took an unexpected turn in 2022 as a young, local YouTuber uploaded her video telling of the harrowing tale of being duped by an agent into the many years she spent in Pakistan.
The video clicked, going viral on social media, in an interesting twist, even resulting in her daughter, based in Mumbai, finding out her mother’s whereabouts.
The government took cognizance of the case work on it, prompting verification from Indian officials of her citizenship. With the verification of her citizenship done, the arrangement, too, was made for her safe return to India. She was thus sent back to India from the Wagah border on Monday, thus ending her 22-year sojourn in Pakistan.
While departing from Pakistan, Hameeda Bano has mixed feelings—while she first felt sad leaving behind her rebuilt life in Pakistan, later she felt joyful being able to reunite her family in India. It illustrates how social media can help in sending out a call for help and how hope should never be lost.
