New Delhi: The curious case of an American woman who landed in Karachi in pursuit of her Pakistani lover has people hooked. “This is better drama than anything Geo or Ary could produce!” is the general consensus.
Thirty-three-year-old Onijah Robinson came to Karachi in October 2024 to look for her 19-year-old online lover, Nidal Ahmed Memon. However, things took a turn for the American. Due to family pressures, Memon backed out of his promise, leaving Robinson stranded in a foreign country with an expired tourist visa and no immediate support. In an effort to resolve the situation, she went to Memon’s home in Karachi’s Garden area, only to find it empty and locked.
Robinson’s case gained attention after local activist and YouTuber Zaffar Abbas shared her story on social media, prompting intervention from Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori, who helped extend her expired visa and arranged a flight back home.
She did not board the flight and instead camped outside Memon’s home. “My demand today is to put an advertisement in a newspaper saying you will give us the money by tomorrow or by the end of the week. We need $50,000,” she told local media.
It was unclear whether she was demanding the money from the Pakistani government or from Memon. The alleged lover, meanwhile, has been picked up by the Pakistani intelligence.
She has now taken matters into her own hands and made two unusual requests—for Memon to shell out $3,000 per week (which is close to PKR 9 lakh) and to become a Pakistani citizen.
It does not end there. She also intends to “rebuild” the entire country. Sitting in the parking lot under her now absconding lover’s building, she caught media attention.
“My plan is to rebuild this entire country. I’m asking for $100k, and I need $20k in cash by the end of this week. That’s my demand from the government. The government needs to fix these streets… it’s ridiculous here, I don’t like it. You all need to understand that Pakistan needs new buses, taxis, and cars. Please listen to me, my name is Onijah Ahmed, wife of Nidal Ahmed,” she said.
Local police stepped in to address Robinson’s concerns, ensuring her safety by moving her to a women’s police station. Robinson refused. She even delayed her return flight to the US, despite assistance from the US Consulate and a pre-booked ticket. Her refusal to board resulted in a 36-minute delay, GeoTV reported.
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Rakhi Sawant of US
Clearly, Pakistanis cannot keep calm. They have labelled her the Rakhi Sawant of the US.
Some Pakistanis are explaining her behaviour with long posts. A Pakistani life coach Saeed Malik thought this was an opportune moment to lecture her on the five stages of grief.
“Apparently she is stuck in a denial phase of grief. At some point, everyone will have at least one experience with grief. It may be from the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, or any other change that alters life as you know it,” he wrote on X, before going into details about each stage.
Others cannot get over the irony of the situation.
“Trump is so going to ban Pakistanis from entering into American DM’s now,” an overseas Pakistani platform wrote on Instagram. “This is the first time an American is begging for a Pakistani citizenship,” a follower commented.
Instagram user Malka Hussain decided to remind her of Pakistan’s debt to the US: “The woman should understand that we are already indebted to America and she’s asking for $2K per week.”
Robinson, meanwhile, has no dearth of suitors. Pakistani men have flooded her with proposals.
“If she wants to settle here, I’ve just bought a new house in Gulshan-e-Maymar,” said Muhammad Ismail. “I’ll take her in and give her $5,000 as well.” Another suitor Sharif Sheerani, 62, also expressed his willingness to marry Robinson and move to the US if she paid him $50,000.
“My demand is $50,000. I’ll go with her, but she won’t agree because she’s broke herself. What can she give me?” he told Arab News.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)