Trafficked to Pak, survivor finally reunited with family after decades | India News – Times of India

Mumbai: In a heartwarming turn of events, 75-year-old Hamida Banu, who was trafficked to Karachi over two decades ago, was finally reunited with her family in Kurla Tuesday night, thanks to the efforts of Pakistani YouTuber Walliullah Maroof and Indian blogger Khulfan Shaikh. Her emotional return to her home in the Quresh Nagar shanty settlement near Kurla (E) railway station marked the end of a journey of unimaginable hardship.
Speaking to TOI on Wednesday from the comfort of her home on Wednesday, Hamida expressed gratitude saying, “I had lost all hope of ever returning to India, but thanks to Maroof, Shaikh, and the cooperation between the Indian and Pakistani governments, I have come back home with respect and honour.” Her family and neighbours gathered around and fed celebratory sweets to one another.
Hamida observed how her Kurla neighbourhood has changed drastically over the years, with new buildings and crowded streets, making it nearly unrecognisable. “If I had come alone, I would not have been able to find my house,” she added. Fortunately, her family had not moved from that shanty despite the passage of decades.
Deceived in 2002 by a recruitment agent who promised her a job in Dubai, Hamida was instead trafficked to Hyderabad (Sind) from where she travelled to Karachi. There, she faced relentless struggles, often living on the streets or seeking refuge in mosques. For a time, she managed to run a small shop to survive.
She later married a Pakistani Sindhi man, and after his death a few years ago, she remained with her stepson’s family in Manghopir, Karachi. It was in this period that she narrated her story to Walliullah Maroof, a neighbourhood YouTuber who remembered her from his childhood when she sold knick-knacks. Moved by her plight, Maroof interviewed her and shared her story online, seeking help from Indian viewers.
Mumbai blogger Khulfan Shaikh, who saw that video, played a pivotal role by assisting in tracing Hamida’s family in Kurla. The combined cross-border efforts of these individuals, along with the governments of India and Pakistan, made her repatriation possible.
Hamida’s story stands as a testament to resilience and the power of social media collaboration across borders, offering a ray of hope to similar stranded persons who are separated from their loved ones.