LAHORE (Kashmir English): A woman smuggled from Bangladesh to Pakistan some 40 years back now wants reunion with her family but finds no easy way to reach homeland.
Razia Bibi has appealed to Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz to intervene and help her reunite with her family after being separated for nearly 40 years.
Razia, who currently lives in a Pattoki village, said the pain of being away from her mother and siblings had defined her entire life.
“No one can replace mother or sister. Mother is everything,” she said while speaking to a private TV channel. She broke down while recalling her long wait to see her family.
Razia said she only wished to meet her elderly and ailing mother so that her heart could finally find peace.
According to media reports, Razia was born in Bangladesh and was brought to Karachi via India before eventually being taken to Pattoki, a Punjab city near Lahore.
She said her mother is now old and unwell, and that she fears she may not get another chance to see her.
Her suffering intensified recently when Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded her while attempting to travel back to Bangladesh, despite having “complete and valid travel documents”.
“I got my passport, obtained the visa and bought my ticket, but when I reached the airport, I was offloaded,” she said.
Recalling her ordeal, Razia said at the age of 18, a co-worker at a factory deceived her and smuggled her to Karachi through India under the pretext of buying gold. She was later taken to Pattoki, where a man purchased her for Rs5,000 for his disabled son and arranged her marriage.
“He brought me here through deception. We crossed into India first, then came straight to Karachi, where I was sold and married off,” she said.
Razia described her married life as extremely difficult, saying not a single day passed without her praying to be reunited with her parents and siblings. I only prayed to be reunited with my family, she added.
Eventually, Razia traced her family in Bangladesh
Two years ago, Razia succeeded in tracing her family in Bangladesh through a local pharmacist, using an old address she still remembered.
The pharmacist said that contact was made with a person in Bangladesh and, after locating her relatives, a video call was arranged between Razia and her family.
After the death of her husband and the marriage of her only daughter, Razia’s desire to return to her Bangladesh family further intensified.
She said four decades had passed in hardship and that she raised goats and chickens to save money for her travel.
According to her lawyer, Ali Changezi Sandhu, the High Court has directed the FIA to decide the matter on merit within 15 days.
He said Razia had a return ticket, a valid passport and a valid visa, and that all her documents were genuine. He described it as devastating that a 60-year-old woman, who had not seen her mother for last 40 to 50 years, was offloaded despite fulfilling all legal requirements.
