Love Story Turns into a Mockery in Karachi

Adnan Bacha

The love story of Onijah Andrew Robinson, an American woman currently navigating the complexities of romance in Karachi, Pakistan, has quickly turned into a spectacle. While some label her as crazy, others accuse her of blackmail.

On Pakistani social media, her relationship has become the subject of mockery to such an extent that it risks discouraging any American or foreign woman from considering a visit to Pakistan in the future.

Onijah Andrew Robinson, a 33-year-old American woman, has been living in Karachi since October. She claims that her online friendship with 19-year-old Nidal Ahmed Memon blossomed into love, prompting her to travel to Karachi with plans to marry him.

However, upon her arrival, she discovered that Nidal had no intention of marrying her and had fled the city with his family.

When senior journalists in Karachi were approached for information, they confirmed that Nidal Ahmed had relocated to an undisclosed location with his family.

Sources indicate that Nidal’s family is strongly opposed to the marriage. Zeeshan Ahmed of Times of Karachi reported that the woman also encountered Kamran Tessori at the airport, and a delegation from the US Consulate attempted to meet with her, but she declined their request.

Zeeshan Ahmed reported, “The American woman has been sitting outside the young man’s house for several days, repeatedly demanding either that he marry her or provide her with thousands of dollars a month.”

While the arrival of the American woman and the Pakistani man’s subsequent disappearance may not be surprising, the extent to which the woman has been ridiculed on social media and publicly humiliated at the government level is unprecedented.

A video of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has gone viral on social media, in which he remarks, “People are dying to go to America and get an American passport, yet our young man called an American woman here and made her sit on the sidewalk. Now, people want to know who this person is, the one who accomplished such a great feat.”

On social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter, the woman’s complexion and height are being mocked. Through open-source investigation tools, we analyzed various social media accounts and concluded that the woman has been ruthlessly targeted online.

On Facebook alone, there are 26 accounts that have been sharing posts about the woman for over a week, ridiculing her. These posts have been shared multiple times, reaching thousands of people.

During the investigation, we closely examined 26 active accounts that have been consistently posting derogatory content about the woman. These 26 accounts were responsible for sharing mocking posts, which were further spread by an additional 1,300 accounts.

These 26 accounts played a central role on Facebook in targeting the American woman, while the data we gathered from the other 1,300 accounts reveals a pattern of mocking her love story and humiliating her.

The American woman has been enduring humiliation on the streets of Karachi for several days. Just yesterday, another video surfaced in which she announced her failure, expressing her desire to return and demanding that someone arrange a ticket for her.

Karachi-based journalist Zeeshan Ahmed reported that the Sindh government has admitted the American woman to the mental health ward at Jinnah Hospital, while providing her with security since her arrival.

When we spoke to journalists about this incident, they pointed out that such cases have become all too common in Pakistan. Foreign women, often swept up in online romances, travel to Pakistan and end up marrying here.

Arif Ahmed commented that Nidal’s behavior was deeply disappointing. He lured the woman into a romantic relationship, made promises of marriage, but when she arrived, he fled.

Social activist Samia Arshad emphasized that women, regardless of their nationality, deserve respect and dignity.

“Our demand is that the Pakistani government ensures justice for this woman and holds the man accountable, ensuring he marries her as promised.”