The rescue on Friday of a Pakistani journalist, Zeenat Shahzadi, who disappeared two years ago while working for the release of an Indian youth, Hamid Ansari, was greeted with relief and hope by his mother, Fauzia Ansari, here.
The 26-year-old journalist had been helping Ms. Ansari with the case of her son, who had been arrested while allegedly trying to enter Pakistan illegally to meet a girl that he met online. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison for espionage by a military court and is still in jail.
Ms. Shahzadi got in touch with his family in 2013. After obtaining a special power of attorney, she had been working relentlessly for his release till she disappeared in August 2015.
Reacting to the news of Ms. Shahzadi’s rescue close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Ms. Ansari said she felt like showering all her love on the journalist.
“I last spoke to Zeenat through WhatsApp on August 15, 2015. I was feeling low as the entire country was celebrating around me while I was still pining for my son, and she consoled me. ‘ Azaadi milegi, zaroor milegi (Freedom will definitely come),’ were her last words to me. The next thing I heard was that she had disappeared,” Ms. Ansari recalled, speaking to The Hindu .
Dedicated efforts
“Zeenat had been an angel to me ever since she contacted me. Without ever having met me, she helped me in every possible way. She did so much for me and I could do nothing when she was in trouble. I did not even have any contact number for her family, as I never thought I would need one. I was extremely saddened when I learned about her brother's suicide,” she said.
Ms Shahzadi’s younger brother Saddam committed suicide in March 2016 following her disappearance.
Ms. Ansari learned about Ms. Shahzadi’s rescue late on Friday night after journalists in Pakistan tweeted about the development.
“I want to hug her and shower all my love on her. I hope she gets back in touch with me, though first I want her to be completely fine. I don’t even know what what condition she was in for the past two years and what she might have gone through,” Ms. Ansari said.
She recalled the effort and integrity displayed by Ms. Shahzadi. “She first obtained all the details about Hamid’s case and confirmed that his intentions were not mala fide, though he did try to enter Pakistan illegally. It was only after she was sure of these aspects that she took up the case and got a special power of attorney,” she said.
A ray of hope
“For the past two years, I have been praying for Zeenat as well as Hamid. Her rescue tells me that prayers are answered, and that I can have hope in my heart,” said Ms. Ansari, adding that she was eager to know more about the circumstances surrounding Ms. Shahzadi’s disappearance.
