Woman Seeks Family Reunion After 40 Years Apart

After 40 years of separation, a woman trafficked from Bangladesh to Pakistan is finally within reach of hugging her mother again.

Razia Bibi was just 18 when a factory coworker tricked her with promises of buying gold. Instead, she was smuggled through India to Karachi, then sold for 5,000 rupees to a family in Pattoki, Punjab, who forced her to marry their disabled son.

For four decades, Razia raised goats and chickens, sold them, and saved every rupee she could. Not a single day passed without her praying for reunion with her family.

Two years ago, a local pharmacist helped trace her family using an old address Razia had memorized all those years. When the video call connected and she saw her mother's face for the first time in decades, everything changed.

After her husband died and her daughter married, Razia finally had enough money for the trip home. She obtained a passport, secured a visa, and bought a round-trip ticket to Bangladesh.

But at the airport, immigration authorities stopped her. Despite having complete and valid documents, she was offloaded and sent back.

Sunny's Take

The story could have ended in heartbreak, but the community rallied. Lawyer Ali Changezi Sandhu took her case for free, and the High Court ordered officials to decide within 15 days.

Razia's appeal to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz struck a chord: "Maryam Nawaz is a mother, just like my own. If my mother dies before I can see her, I will die of grief."

Her mother is now elderly and unwell. Razia knows time is precious.

The financial loss from the cancelled trip was devastating—roughly $1,250 she had carefully saved. Her lawyer is pushing for compensation and fighting to ensure she can travel.

What makes this story special isn't just one woman's determination. It's how strangers became allies: a pharmacist who helped reconnect a family across borders, a lawyer working without pay, and officials now under court order to do the right thing.

Razia never asked for wealth or comfort. She only wanted what was stolen from her at 18: the chance to say "I love you" to her mother one more time.

Now, with legal support and growing attention, that dream is closer than ever.