KARACHI: After going underground in Pakistan as an illegal alien for 18 years, a 65-year-old Sri Lankan woman, will now be able to return home to her children in Colombo, thanks to concerted efforts by Edhi Foundation, Saylani Welfare Trust and human rights advocate Zia Ahmed Awan.

Speaking at a press conference at the Edhi headquarters at Meethadar on Friday, Rashina could not hold back her tears as she thanked all for coming to her aid. `Pm a poor woman. The government of Pakistan had imposed a 22 lac rupees fine on me for illegally overstaying in Pakistan. I didn`t even have money to pay for my return ticket to Sri Lanka, what to say of the heavy fine, she said. `But God is great. God sent mehelp in all these people who made it possible for a destitute widow to reunite with her orphaned children,` she said.

Sharing her story, Rashina said that she is a born Muslim from Sri Lanka, who found employment as a telephone operator at a travel agency in Kuwait. It was there that she met Javed Iqbal of Mian Channu, Punjab. `We fell in love and got married.

Later, we moved to Saudi Arabia where we lived for some 15 years. We have three children, two daughters, Mumtaz and Aneesha, and a son Mohammed Rafay,` she said.

In Saudi Arabia, later, when her husband lost his job, he desperately tried to find another but being unable to do so he was deported to Pakistan while Rashina was deported to Sri Lanka with their children. `Leaving my children in the care with my family in Colombo, I came to Pakistan on a visit visa to meet my husband in Mian Channu. But his family would not accept me. We left Punjab to come to Karachi where we found a small rented place. I know I should have returned to Sri Lanka when my visa expired but by then my husband had become seriously ill. Hisliver was failing. Then he passed away.

That was in 2007. I have tried to return home to my children since then but Icouldn`t without first paying a 22 lac rupees fine imposed on me for overstaying my welcome,` she informed.

`Having no place to go I would turn up at Saylani Welfare Trust for meals. There I met a volunteer, Anis Abdul Hafeez, who offered me a place to stay with his family in Surjani Town because I had no place to stay.

When I fell sick, I reached out to Saylani again, and their chief trustee Arif Lakhani arranged for my heart bypass surgery. My hospital stay and medical bills were also taken care of by Saylani. They also tried to find me legal help. But we were getting nowhere. Not knowing what else to do, I started protesting outside the Karachi Press Club,` she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Faisal Edhi said: `That was when some journalists alerted my son Saad Edhi about Rashina`s plight. `I then reached out to our regular legal counsel Advocate Zia Ahmed Awan for help,` Faisal Edhi told Dawn.

Advocate Zia Awan said that they reached out to the Ministry of Interior but to no avail. `Hope finally came when we approached the Constitutional Bench of theSindh High Court which ordered for the Interior Secretary to appear before it. That was when Rashina`s hefty fine was waived and she was ordered to leave Pakistan within 15 days,` the able advocate reported.

As Arif Lakhani of Saylani had already got her Sri Lankan passport renewed, it was only a matter of him buying her a one-way air ticket to Colombo. With that arranged, Rashina is now all set to board her flight back home from Karachi on December 2.

`You are all welcome to Colombo. You will stay with me there. My children, who are half Pakistani, and I will love to have you,` Rashina told Zia Awan, Faisal Edhi, Arif Lakhani, Anis Abdul Hafeez and even the members of the media who had come to cover her story.

Speaking on the occasion, Faisal Edhi and Advocate Awan urged the government to look into waiving off the hefty fines imposed on aliens stuck in this country only because they don`t have money to pay the fines.

`When they want to go home we should also not let such hurdles come in their way, Faisal E dhi said.