'The Diplomat': The Real Story Of Uzma Ahmed—The Daughter Of India (Image-Youtube/T-Series)
John Abraham and Sadia Khateeb’s real-life inspired political thriller, The Diplomat, hit theatres today. With John portraying the role of diplomat JP Singh and Saida as Uzma Ahmed, the woman seeking repatriation in India, the film will be featuring the thrilling journey of Uzma and her life-altering experience.
The internet is so curious to know about the rescue mission, which dates back to 2017. Here is all you need to know about the story of Uzma and India’s diplomatic mission of rescuing its daughter.
Who is Uzma Ahmad?
Uzma Ahmad, an Indian, met a Pakistani citizen, Tahir Ali, in Malaysia and fell in love. Tahir invited Uzma to Pakistan and promised to take care of her only daughter, who was suffering from thalassaemia disease. What appeared to be a fairytale soon turned out to be a nightmare once she reached Pakistan.
How did Uzma Ahmad end up in Pakistan?
On 1 May 2017, Uzma was drugged and held captive by her husband in Pakistan’s Burner. After reaching Pakistan, Uzma realised that Tahir was already married and had four children. She was inhumanely tortured, beaten up, and raped day in and day out by Tahir, according to reports.
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Many women like her were kept as captives, where several antisocial elements took place. It was a place where ordinary Pakistani masses are scared of going to.
Uzma Ahmad’s escape from the captive
Uzma called her cousin in Malaysia from the mobile of another woman who was also kept as a captive in Buner. Her friend advised her that she has to reach the Indian High Commission of Islamabad at any cost to escape from Pakistan.
Uzma tricked her husband, Tahir Ali, saying that as a gift, Indian bridegrooms are given certain amounts of money by the bride’s family. She knew that Tahir was a greedy man and would agree to this. Uzma told Tahir that his brother, who works in the Indian High Commission, will hand over the money to her.
Tahir took her to the Indian High Commission office, and there Uzma went in and narrated her story and how she was trapped by her husband to the then Deputy High Commissioner, JP Singh.
The heroic diplomatic mission
It was J.P. Singh, the then First Secretary of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, who took the initiative to rescue Uzma. At the time, the late Sushma Swaraj, who was the then Minister of External Affairs of India, extended her full support to J.P. Singh’s efforts.
The deputy, along with his colleagues, did a proper background checkup and gave her shelter in the Indian High Commission office. On May 24, Uzma crossed the border and entered India again around 9:30 am. Later, Uzma also revealed that Sushma Swaraj told her that she was India’s daughter and comforted her, who was then completely torn inside.
Uzma about returning to India
On returning to India, Uzma shared, “From my point of view, it was kidnapping because I wasn’t aware that the situation would change so drastically after crossing the Wagah Border. After reaching, I saw there was a weird village, with weird language and weird people. Nothing was right there. If you search on Google, you will find that Buner was under Taliban occupation from 2008 to 2010. Military operations also happen there often. Tahir tortured me in every possible way and even threatened me that he would get my daughter kidnapped and killed in Delhi.”
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She further added, “There were guns in the house. They used to keep pistols with them. It is easy to go to Pakistan. But coming back from there is impossible. Pakistan is well off death. You can’t come back from there. Normally, Muslim girls here (India) think Pakistan is very good because of Muslim culture. I was trapped, but even those who go to Pakistan after an arranged marriage are in trouble. They want to come back. But they can’t. Pakistan is completely like this. In every house, you will find 2-3-4 wives.”
The new life of Uzma Ahmed
Uzma Ahmad with the makers of The Diplomat (Image-Facebook/Sadia Khateeb)
According to a story published in The Week in 2019, Uzma now runs a beauty salon in Brahmpuri, north-east Delhi, called Falak.
