Maharashtra: 65-yr-old woman, released after 18 years in Pakistan jail, dies

A 65yearold woman who spent 18 years in a Pakistani prison and was sent back to India on Republic Day died here barely a fortnight after returning to her motherland The overjoyed woman Hasina Begum was accorded a heros welcome by several of her old friends distant relatives and even Aurangabad Police officials on her return on January 26Early on Tuesday morning the city was stunned to learn that she suddenly succumbed to a heart attack and breathed her last after enjoying barely 14 days of freedom Upon her return she recounted her travails and how she underwent immense hardships in the Pakistani prison for so many years for no fault of hersI have undergone tremendous hardships all these years Now I feel as if I am in Heaven I feel a sense of peace after returning to my country I was wrongly jailed in Pakistan Hasina Begum said briefly of her 18yearlong imprisonment in the neighbouring country She expressed her gratitude to the Aurangabad Police for submitting a report to the Pakistan authorities which paved the way for her release and repatriationA resident of Rashidpura locality of Aurangabad she was married to Dilshad Ahmed Shaikh of Saharanpur Uttar Pradesh They were a childless couple A local social worker said that her husband died a few years ago when his wife was in the Pakistani jail Hasina Begums travails began in 2004 when she went to Pakistan to meet her husbands relatives living in LahoreThe first of the series of tragedies struck when she lost or misplaced her passport there and also failed to meet anybody from her inlaws side who could help her Without the passport Hasina Begum was promptly arrested by the Pakistan police on charges of being a spy and dumped in a local jail while cumbersome legal proceedings were launched against herOver the years after she consistently pleaded her innocence a Pakistan court finally sought a detailed report on her claims from the Indian authorities Accordingly sometime ago the Aurangabad Police sent the report to Pakistan confirming that Hasina Begum was a resident of Rashidpura under the jurisdiction of the City Chowk Police Station her husbands details her home address and other relevant informationConvinced by this the Pakistan court finally ordered her release and repatriation to India and she reached her home town on January 26 Hoping to start life afresh a week later Hasina Begum was shattered after learning that her small plot of land in the city which she had bought in July 2000 had been encroached and usurped by some local goonsLast week armed with the old property papers registry and other records she had met the Aurangabad Police top brass seeking help to secure possession of her plot and the police assured to enquire and do the needful A local social worker Mohsin Ahmed said that since Hasina Begum had no known close relatives several people in the city got together and performed her last rites at a cemetery following the afternoon namaaz prayers at the Mohammediya Mosque in RashidpuraThis is truly shocking It seems she remained alive for 18 years in the Pakistan jail only to return and peacefully breathe her last at her birthplace said IndiaPakistan peace activist Jatin Desai He said that on January 1 2021 India handed over a list of 270 Indian fisherfolk and 49 civilians in various Pakistani jails and Pakistan submitted a list of 263 of its civilians and 77 fishermen held in Indian prisonsWe have been demanding since long that both countries should allow medical teams to go and check their respective countrymen periodically to ascertain their health and wellbeing Desai saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever