John Abraham starrer, The Diplomat became a commercial success at the box office and grossed Rs. 53 crore worldwide. The movie is based on the true story of India’s Uzma Ahmed, who was clustered in Pakistan’s Buner by her husband, Tahir Ali, who tricked her into getting married to him and kept her there while torturing her day in and day out.
The real story of Uzma was featured in the film, The Diplomat, which is currently streaming on OTT giant, Netflix. Amid this, let’s have a look at India’s daughter, Uzma Ahmed’s real-life story, and how the diplomat, J.P. Singh took all kinds of risks to release her from Pakistan and escort her to her family in India, along with the help of his colleagues and late external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
How Uzma Ahmed fell in love with a Pakistani man and reached the country only to find out he was married
Uzma Ahmed, a young woman from Delhi, met a Pakistani man named Tahir Ali in Malaysia. Uzma once shared with India Today that she’s an orphan. Well, she has a daughter from her first marriage, who was suffering from Thalassemia. Upon meeting Tahir, she fell in love, and he did too, well, at least he might have pretended. The duo, according to Tahir, was in a relationship for nine months, and they decided to get married. Well, later he invited Uzma to Pakistan and said that he wanted to take care of her daughter from her first marriage. Uzma, who reportedly had a visa to travel to Pakistan, reached the neighbouring country in May 2017.
Surely, Uzma had wished to begin her life with Tahir Ali, but her dreams turned out to be a nightmare when she found out that he was already married with four kids. In the statements that Uzma made, she shared that she was forced to marry Tahir at gunpoint, and there was not a day that she was not tortured, be it physically, emotionally, or mentally. Later, in her statements, Uzma shared that she was kept in Buner, a place where normal Pakistani people would fear to go, and several women were kept captive. Talking about the situation there, Uzma revealed:
“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.”
How Uzma Ahmed tricked her husband, Tahir Ali to reach the Indian High Commission in Islamabad
Uzma was determined to come back to India and made a call to her cousin on a woman’s phone, who was also in Buner. The woman told Uzma that she would have to reach the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to escape Pakistan. She tricked Tahir into believing that she had a brother in the Indian High Commission, and would give them a large amount of money for their wedding.
Tahir was a greedy man, and Uzma knew that this trick would work. Tahir took her to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, and that’s when Uzma narrated the whole story to J.P. Singh, the first Secretary of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. After hearing Uzma’s story, J.P. Singh did everything to make her return to India soon.
Diplomat, J.P. Singh took every risk to ensure India’s daughter, Uzma Ahmed’s return to India
J.P Singh along with his colleagues ran a background check on her to make sure she was really from India. She was also given shelter there in the Indian High Commission office. JP Singh took charge of this case and contacted India’s then Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj. After a long legal battle, Uzma could finally return to India, and JP Singh himself escorted her to India. Calling Pakistan a death well, Uzma said:
“Pakistan is like a well of death. I am an orphan. I am an adopted child and have nobody. It is easy to go but tough to return.”
As per reports, Uzma owns a salon in Brahmpuri now. What do you think about Uzma Ahmed’s real story of escaping Pakistan?
Also Read: TVF’s Gram Chikitsalay Review: Rural Drama, Predictable Plot, Deja Vu Of ‘Panchayat’, Yet Stood Out