65-Year Old Woman Who Returned To India After Spending 18 Years In Pakistan Jail Dies

Hasina Begum: Hasina Begum, a 65-year old woman who spent 18 years in a Pakistani prison and was sent back to India on Republic Day, passed away today morning. She reportedly suffered from a heart attack.

The tragic incident broke many hearts in Aurangabad as she suddenly succumbed to a heart attack and got to enjoy barely 14 days of freedom. In fact, the woman was given a grand welcome by several of her old friends, distant relatives, and even Aurangabad Police officials on her return on January 26 to the city.

Tragic Story Of Hasina Begum

When the old woman arrived, she recalled the hardships she had to go through without any fault of hers. She told a local daily, "I 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." 

Furthermore, she also thanked the Aurangabad Police for submitting a report to the authorities in Pakistan which eventually led to her release and repatriation.

She was a resident of Rashidpura, Aurangabad and was married to Dilshad Ahmed Shaikh of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The couple does not have any children. Her husband reportedly died a few years ago, when Hasina Begum was in prison.

In 2004, she went to Pakistan to meet her husband's relatives in Lahore. She unfortunately lost or misplaced her passport while travelling. Moreover, she was unable to meet any of her relatives who could help her.

As she couldn't find her passport, the Pakistan authorities suspected her of being a spy. Consequently, Hasina Begum was promptly arrested by the Pakistan police on charges of espionage (spying) and put behind bars in a local jail. 

Through the efforts of Aurangabad police and Ministry of External Affairs, she was finally released from prison after 18 years. On her return, she found that a land plot that she brought two decades ago had encroached.  She even approached authorities for help but passed away during the process. 

Mohsin Ahmed, a local social worker, 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 and offered prayers for her in a mosque at Rashidpura.

India-Pakistan peace activist Jatin Desai also expressed his condolences. "This 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," he said.

Feature Image Credits: Free Press Journal