DUBAI: Indian divorcee Zainab Fawad whom XPRESS helped reunite with her five year-old twin boys last January is all set to fly home on a one-way ticket this Friday, bringing closure to a case that had remained unresolved for years.
“The court has finally released my passport and my visa has been cancelled. I’ve waited for this day for as long as I can remember. At last, I will be able to return to Mumbai with my children and start life afresh. I am indebted to XPRESS and all those wonderful people in the UAE who rallied behind me, particularly Farideh Mojbel Maleki of Dubai Foundation, Shehla Baig, aunt Margie, Juhi Yasmeen Khan and Farhat Ali Khan. None of this could have been possible without their help,” said the 44-year-old as she prepared to leave Dubai for good.
Rendered homeless, jailed, divorced by her Pakistani husband and separated from her twins following a series of catastrophic events, Zainab was living on the brink. At one point she even contemplated ending her life.
Change of fortune
However, a November 16, 2016 XPRESS report highlighting her plight changed her fortune almost overnight with hundreds of readers stepping forward to help her with monetary and legal aid.
Their overwhelming response also helped her reunite with her children - Mustafa and Muzammil both Indian nationals - who were stranded in Pakistan since April 2014. XPRESS captured the heartwarming moments when Zainab hugged her children after two and a half years when they landed at Dubai airport on December 30, 2016.
Even as the family’s stunning turnaround became the subject of an upcoming Bollywood movie, one last hurdle remained.
Zainab couldn’t exit the UAE as her passport was stuck in a Sharjah Court since 2013 when she pledged it to secure the release of her husband in a defamation case.
In May the Consulate General of India in Dubai wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Sharjah office, requesting them to repatriate Zainab and her children to India and also sought their help to track down and arrest Zainab’s Pakistani husband.
However, nothing came out of it. Meanwhile, Zainab filed an appeal before a Sharjah court requesting them to release her passport on humanitarian grounds. Last fortnight, the court considered her appeal and released her passport with a nominal fine.
“I am thankful to the court for taking a sympathetic view of the case,” said Dubai based legal professional Farhat Ali Khan who guided Zainab on her legal issues during her ordeal.
Zainab said she will always cherish memories of her time in the UAE. “I had many ups and downs in life. But as they say all’s well that ends well,” she added.
