Afghan woman reunites with family

A 30-year-old Afghan woman who had been living at the Bilquis Edhi Home in Township area of the provincial capital for one-and-a-half year got reunited with her family with the help of Lahore police as well as with the cooperation of the Afghan charge d’affaires, said a police spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that the woman, Mersal, had travelled to Pakistan from Afghanistan after she had been offered a job by a woman in Lahore.

However, tragedy struck when the woman was kidnapped by some unidentified people in Lahore who kept her hostage for many days. Mersal, nevertheless, escaped from the captivity of the kidnappers and landed at the Bilquis Edhi Home in the Township area.

Meanwhile, a traffic police team visited the Balquis Edhi Home to collect data on missing persons. There they came across Mersal.

A month later, the traffic wardens had had a chance to meet with the Afghan charge d’affaires. They requested the charge d’affaires to trace the heirs of the woman. Due to mutual efforts, the heirs of Mersal were found. Mersal and her heirs were overjoyed at the reunion.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2023.