Am now back in India, but will miss my Pakistani grandkids, says Kurla woman

After reaching the Wagah border when I was told that I was in India again I knew it was not true because from where I was standing I could only see the Pakistani flag I asked lsquoWhere is the tiranga tricolourrsquo As I moved a little further I saw our flag fluttering I felt a sense of relief and was certain that I had finally returnedrdquo Hamida Banu a Kurla resident who was trafficked to Pakistan 24 years ago told middayI never went to school but I remember when we were living in the Kasaiwada locality in Kurla we would visit a school for the hoisting of the tricolour on January 26 and August 15rdquo Hamida Banu saidHamida Banu trafficking victimThe 67yearold who finally returned home in the wee hours of Wednesday thanks to the efforts of a Pakistani imam and YouTuber Waliullah Maroof said ldquoI had brought sweets hoping to offer them to my children after reuniting with them but the delicacies were confiscated at the airport which was infuriating People had gifted me many new clothes but I only took a few with me I distributed my old clothes along with some of the new ones among the poor in PakistanrdquoTraumatic ordealHamida Banu had worked as a cook for nine years in Doha six months in Dubai and three months in Saudi Arabia before things took a turn for the worst In 2002 the widowed mother of four was duped by a woman in Mulund who delivered her to traffickers on the pretext of fetching her a jobHamida Banu and her daughter Yasmeen at their residence in Kurla on Wednesday PicsSayyed Sameer AbediNarrating how she came to be separated from her kin decades ago Hamida Banu said ldquoI was trafficked along with four other women Three were picked up from the airport in separate cars while one of the women Shahnaz and I were taken in one vehicle We were held captive in a hut in Hyderabad in the Sindh province and our passports were confiscated Our captors gave us plain food to eatrdquoShe added ldquoWhenever I sensed that the person holding us had bad intentions I would sternly warn him saying lsquoDonrsquot even think about it Irsquoll gouge your eyes outrsquo We were kept in that hut for about three months During this time they gave us a small amount of money every month which we savedrdquoThe 67yearold holds up a picture of herself as a younger womanNarrating how she came to marry a Pakistani national Hamida Banu said ldquoOne day Shahnaz and I managed to escape After wandering for many days we used our savings to open a small shop in Karachi Eventually a shopkeeper in the neighbourhood who had lost his wife married me in 2010 and brought me to his home My second husband treated me with great care and ensured I had everything I needed from food to clothing He also knew I was Indian but no one in Pakistan was aware of this To keep my identity hidden he used to call me lsquoPardeshirsquo foreignerrdquoHamida Banu did not have children with her second husband but looked after them as if they were her own ldquoMy second husband had four young boys and one girl with his first wife and I took care of them with the hope that my children in India would remain safe After my husbandrsquos death his sons took care of me In their children I saw my granddaughters and they loved me deeply Even though I am now back in India with my family those children remain very dear to my heart and I miss them greatlyrdquo she saidldquoMy granddaughters in Pakistan used to ask their father lsquoWhy are you sending Grandma to India Do you think shersquos a burdenrsquo They told me that after reuniting with my family in India I must return to see them againrdquo she addedlsquoNever felt any hatredrsquoldquoWhenever I felt nervous I would go out to roam the streets alone I have been to different cities in Pakistan I did have a desire to reunite with my children but after living in Pakistan for 22 years I never felt any hatred from the people there Everyone was incredibly kind and loving and they held a deep respect and affection for the people of India Throughout my time in Pakistan no one ever asked me who I was or why I was there It was only after my video about being Indian went viral in 2022 that people became aware of my identity and some came to question me Last year I was called to the Indian embassy in Pakistan where I was questioned Then just two days ago I was taken to the border with Waliullah Maroof where I was treated with great respect and honourrdquo she saidExplaining how she met Maroof she said ldquoHis mother had become a close friend of mine When Waliullah introduced a trafficked Bangladeshi woman to her relatives I began to feel hopeful I asked him to make a video on me as well which later went viralrdquo she saidldquoWaliullah is a wonderful person and serves as an imam at the mosque Without his help I wouldnrsquot have been able to reunite with my family and return to India No amount of prayers will ever be enough to express my gratituderdquo she addedThe senior citizen said ldquoI request both governments to assist all the Indians currently in Pakistan including Shahnaz in returning to India Shahnaz is a resident of Bangalore and has seven daughters and a son who live there Although she is much younger than me she is in a state of distress in Pakistan Shahnaz was also married to a Pakistani person but her husband has passed away Her children from her Pakistani husband sold the family home and left her homeless She is facing immense hardshiprdquoHamidas family is overjoyed with her return to India Her sister Shahida said ldquoWe were taking medicines day and night constantly visiting government departments and offices Allah accepted our prayers An angel named Waliullah helped us and today my sister is back with us When we went to receive my sister at the border we brought a gift for Waliullah hoping to meet him Unfortunately that didnrsquot happen We will continue to pray for Waliullah and keep him in our thoughtsrdquo2010Year Hamida Banu got married for second time