Recovered Pakistani woman in Iran refuses to return home

The case of a Pakistani woman recovered in Iran after appealing for help against alleged abusive husband has taken a dramatic turn. The pregnant woman, who is also the mother of a toddler, has now refused to return to Pakistan alone.

In a handwritten note and a video message, the recovered woman stated that she wishes to remain with her husband, Imran Bhatti, and will travel with him.

In her message, she expressed gratitude to Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran, Mudassir Tipu, the Consul in Mashhad, Shahryar, and their team for their assistance. However, she said: "My physical condition does not allow me to travel alone, especially because I am carrying a young child with me.’’

An Iranian diplomat, on the condition of anonymity, told Geo News that the lady is shifted to a police camp located in Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province.

He said that Iranian authorities have given complete access to the Pakistan embassy in Tehran, as it is a very important matter for us. The Iranian authorities are waiting for Pakistani officials to take her back to her country. However, progress is yet to be made in this regard.

When asked about the alleged abusive husband of the woman, the diplomat said, ‘’We don’t have any official word about him.’’

Sources say that the husband was not arrested as no official complaint was lodged against him by Sadia, her family or Pakistani authorities. At the top of it, in her second video message, she has expressed willingness to stay with her husband. So, there is no ground to act against Imran Bhatti.

A mystery surrounds the nature of the job of Imran Bhatti, who had kept 22-year-old Sadia in Keshk-e-Nar, a city in Iran’s Hormozgan province, for the last two years or so.

Last week, in a video message, the woman had appealed to Sindh Governor Kaman Tessori to rescue her from a Pakistani citizen who allegedly brought her to Iran illegally.

The lady also claimed that the said person married her under duress, and if not rescued from his torture, she would commit suicide.

The governor had taken up this matter with Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam and a senior diplomat at the foreign ministry in Tehran. Eventually, Pakistan’s embassy in Iran had sent a team to rescue the lady.

Sadia hails from Nishtar Colony, Latifabad, Hyderabad. Her brother, claimed that the only contacts with the family were made when Sadia called them from the mobile phone of a neighbouring lady or a shopkeeper when her husband was not around.

He said the embassy official should have connected her with the family on the phone so that they could know why she had changed her mind and expressed willingness to go back to her ‘’abusive husband.’’

The family said that it is hard for them to make ends meet. They cannot afford to travel to Iran and bring her back. So, the embassy should do something in this regard.

‘’We had sent staff to meet Sadia, made all arrangements for her deputation, even booked a hotel for her stay till she could go back to Pakistan. However, the lady refused. She wants to stay back with her husband. Apparently, it’s a family dispute. So, we are in a fix,’’ explained Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu.

In any case, it is not easy for Sadia to go back to her husband. After all, it has come to light that she had travelled to Iran without a passport and visa. Now, she will have to follow the due procedures.

‘’Such cases are looked after by a special committee. They review the whole situation and make decisions according to the law of the land,’’ remarked Iranian diplomat.

It is evident that if Sadia is not brought back by her family or the Pakistan embassy, then the ‘’four months pregnant’’ lady may have to stay long in the police camp.

Last week, Hormozagan didn’t witness violent protests. As per the Iranian diplomat, ‘’she is in safe hands’.’