A 22-year-old Indian woman who had been duped by a travel agent and forced to spend 22 years in Pakistan, returned to her homeland through the Wagah Border in Lahore on Monday. Hamida Bano, a resident of Mumbai, had reached Hyderabad in Pakistan way back in 2002 with the hope of getting a job in Dubai.
According to officials, Bano travelled from Karachi to India, where she was facilitated by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “On Monday, she arrived by plane from Karachi and subsequently crossed into India via the Wagah Border,” a government representative informed PTI. Overjoyed at being reunited with her family, Bano revealed that she had lost hope of returning to India but felt fortunate to witness this moment.
Her story came to light in 2022 when local YouTuber Waliullah Maroof highlighted her plight. Bano left India in 2002 after a recruitment agent promised her a job as a cook in Dubai, only to be trafficked to Pakistan instead. Maroof’s vlog helped reconnect her with her family in India-up north, speaking to her daughter Yasmeen over the phone.
Before embarking on the journey to Pakistan, Bano had been the breadwinner of her four children since her husband’s death. She had also worked as a cook in Doha, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia without any problem.
During her time in the country, Bano had married a Pakistani man in Karachi, who later succumbed to Covid-19. Since his death, she had been living with her stepson. Her repatriation marks a dramatic end to a long and traumatic chapter of her life.
