Pakistan has completed preparations to send back Indian citizen Hamida Banu today, 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Monday.
According to diplomatic sources, Hamida Banu left India in 2002 after a recruitment agent promised her a job as a cook in Dubai. However, instead of Dubai, she was brought to Pakistan.
After the issue was highlighted in the media, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs took action. However, confirming Hamida Banu's citizenship took some time.
Diplomatic sources said that once her citizenship was confirmed, Pakistan decided to send her back home within less than 10 days.
--Hamida Banu's Journey--
Hamida Banu, an Indian woman who had been missing for 22 years, was recently located in Pakistan with the help of a social media video.
In 2002, Banu left India after a recruitment agent promised her a cooking job in Dubai. Instead, she was trafficked to Pakistan.
Over the years, her family in Mumbai struggled to locate her, but the breakthrough came when social media activist Waliullah Maroof interviewed Banu and shared the video online.
Indian journalist Khalfan Shaikh also helped disseminate the video, leading to Banu’s family recognising her.
Banu, who had supported her children in India after her husband's death, was tricked by the agent and brought to Pakistan's Hyderabad instead of Dubai.
She was detained for months before marrying a man in Karachi, who later died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After Banu's second husband's death, she reached out to Maroof for help, and with the video’s widespread attention, her family was finally able to track her down.
Banu's emotional reunion with her daughter Yasmin Shaikh through a video call marked the beginning of her long-awaited return.
Reporter: Anwar Abbas