After enduring a harrowing year in a Pakistani jail, an Indian woman and her young son have finally been returned to their homeland. Wahida Begum and her son, Faiz Khan, were arrested for illegally crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan through the Chaman border, according to Pakistani officials cited by PTI.Wahidas journey began with hope for a better future for her son after her husbands death in 2022. Trusting a deceitful travel agent with her life savings, she aimed to relocate to Canada for a fresh start.Betrayal and struggleIn her media statement to Pakistan, she stated that, in 2022, following my husbands death, I made the decision to relocate to Canada with my son. To make this happen, I sold my property and entrusted a substantial amount of money to an Indian agent. However, our journey took a dreadful turn upon reaching Dubai and later Afghanistan. The agent disappeared with our money and passports in Afghanistan, leaving us stranded. Desperate to return home, we crossed into Pakistan, where we were apprehended under the Foreigners Act. In Afghanistan, he took all of our money and passports before fleeing, leaving us in a dire situation.Familys fight for freedomMonths of bureaucratic hurdles and legal battles followed, with Wahidas family in India tirelessly campaigning for their release. Consular access was eventually granted, but verifying their citizenship took several more months.Through collaborative efforts between the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, Wahida and Faiz were finally granted repatriation. Tears of joy and relief flowed as they were handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) at the Attari-Wagah border crossing.
