22 years on, human trafficking victim Hamida Bano returns to India from Pakistan
PTC Web Desk: Hamida Bano, a resident of Mumbai, has finally returned to her homeland after 22 years, following her abduction and trafficking. She crossed the Wagah Border to return to India, with the assistance of a Pakistani YouTuber who broadcasted her story two years ago. The process of verifying her identity took both India and Pakistan two years.
Hamida Bano shared her background, revealing that her father was Gul Mohammad and her mother was Amina Bono. She was one of seven siblings, with four brothers and three sisters. Her family lived near the Kurla railway station in Mumbai. After the death of her husband, Hamida faced financial hardship, struggling to provide for her two sons, Yusuf and Fazal, and two daughters, Yasmeen and Praveen.
Hamida Bano with Pakistani YouTuber, who helped her locate her family in Mumbai.
To support her children, Hamida decided to work abroad. She spent nine months in Doha, Qatar, where she earned enough money to marry off her sons. Afterward, she worked in Dubai for six months and later spent three months in Saudi Arabia. However, in 2002, instead of being sent to Dubai as planned, she was flown to Pakistan.
Hamida explained that she had no money with her, except for some cash she hid in her salwar. She attempted to contact her family, but the phone numbers had changed, and strangers answered. After losing hope, she ended up in Islamabad, where she was married.
Hamida also revealed that she was among 500 women, mostly from different states, who were trafficked under the guise of working in Dubai, only to be sent to various other countries. To this day, Hamida has no knowledge of where the other women ended up.
Two years ago, she made contact with a local Pakistani YouTuber, Waliullah Mahroof, who helped locate her family in Mumbai. The process to bring Hamida back to India took two years of bureaucratic work between both countries. Today, she is finally back home.
- With inputs from agencies