Pakistan lagging in EV production, only 60,000 produced against 600,000 target — senate body

KARACHI: An American woman who has been in the media storm after traveling to Karachi in pursuit of a Pakistani man she befriended online who ultimately refused to marry her said this week she doesn’t feel betrayed but wants to stay in Pakistan for now and be paid a weekly allowance. 

Onijah Andrew Robinson, 33, arrived in Karachi in October to meet 19-year-old Nidal Ahmed Memon, who later abandoned her saying his family was not agreeing to their marriage. His whereabouts are currently unknown. 

Robinson’s story came to light after local activist and YouTuber Zaffar Abbas publicized it on social media, with Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori intervening to extend her expired visa and arrange a flight home.

Robinson, however, refused to board the flight this week, according to Station House Officer Kaleem Khan Moosa. She instead took a taxi to Memon’s apartment building in whose parking area she stayed for nearly 30 hours on Thursday before leaving for a Chhipa charity shelter, where she is expected to remain until her return to the US.

“That’s funny because I keep that private … I can never feel betrayed,” she told Arab News when asked about her relationship with Memon and his disappearance. 

“My demand today is to put [advertisement] in a newspaper that you will give us money tomorrow or by the end of this week. We need $50,000.”

It was unclear who she was demanding the money from, the Pakistan government or Memon. 

Authorities in Karachi said the woman had not filed a formal complaint against Memon.

“We learned that an American woman is present in the building in connection with a local man,” Senior Superintendent Police Arif Aziz. “The young man has disappeared after leaving his home, but since there is no complaint in this case and it is a personal matter, our responsibility is limited to providing security to the woman only.”

A spokesperson for the US consulate in Karachi said the mission was aware of the situation but could not comment due to privacy laws. The spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign office, Shafqat Ali Khan, said it was a matter for local authorities in Sindh province to deal with.

Meanwhile, a number of Pakistani men have come forward with marriage proposals for Robinson. 

“If she wants to settle here, then I’ve bought a new house in Gulshan-e-Maymar [neighborhood]. I will accommodate her there and also give her $5,000,” said Muhammad Ismail.

“She has been betrayed and cheated. A promise has been broken, but we welcome the guest.”

Sharif Sheerani, 62, said he was ready to marry Robinson and move with her to the US if she paid him $50,000.

“My demand is $50,000,” he said. “I will go with her but she won’t agree because she is also broke, what will she give me? She’s asking for money herself.”

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said this week nearly 80,000 Afghans in Pakistan had been resettled in various countries abroad, while another 40,000 still remained in Pakistan.

The 2021 withdrawal of US-led troops from Kabul ended two decades of war but began a new exodus, as Afghans clamoured to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with Washington and its allies. Thousands of Afghans who had applied for resettlement in the US and European countries entered neighboring Pakistan, where many still remain trapped in legal limbo.

The latest blow has been a decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration last week to halt visa processing for refugees for at least 90 days, blocking around 10,000 Afghans approved for entry from starting new lives in the United States, according to non-profit #AfghanEvac. Tens of thousands more applications in process have also been frozen, the US-based organization said.

“I can give you a broad figure,” Spokesman Khan said in reply to a question on the number of Afghan nationals in Pakistan who were awaiting resettlement abroad.

“Almost 80,000 have been taken by various countries for resettlement and around 40,000 are still in Pakistan.” 

Trump’s order said “the United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees,” and stopped the relocation scheme until it “aligns with the interests of the United States.”

But campaigners argue the country owes a debt to Afghans left in the lurch by their withdrawal, which Trump committed to in his first term but was overseen by his successor president Joe Biden.

A special visa program for Afghans who were employed by or on behalf of the United States remains active.

But the more wide-reaching refugee scheme was relied on by applicants including ex-Afghan soldiers and employees of the US-backed government, as well as their family members.

With America’s Kabul embassy shut, many traveled to neighboring Pakistan to enter paperwork, conduct interviews and undergo vetting.

Khan said Pakistan hoped the US would restart its refugee program so the remaining Afghan refugees could be resettled “as per commitments given by the US government.” He also hoped the US would resume foreign development assistance programs, which have also been suspended by Trump for at least 90 days through an executive order. 

Islamabad announced a sweeping campaign in 2023 to evict undocumented Afghans residing in the country illegally, ordering them to leave or face arrest as relations soured with the Taliban government. 

At least 800,000 Afghans have left since November 2023, according to government data. 

But Afghans awaiting refugee relocation have also reported widespread harassment to leave by authorities in Pakistan, who deny the charge.