Debt-ridden widow with three kids appeals for help
Woman’s rent cases preventing her from changing visa status
APakistani widow is stranded with her three children in Sharjah as her visa has expired and she is unable to change her residency status, or leave the country.
Bushra Mushtaq, 42, had an investor visa for her salon that expired on April 29. She has a grace period till October 12 to renew the visa, or cancel it and return home to Bagh in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Her three boys — Abdullah, 17; Uzair, 14; and Mohammad, 9 — attend a Pakistani school in Sharjah. Their school fees are mostly covered by a charity, with a minor amount outstanding for two of the sons.
Two rent cases
Bushra has two cases against her for non-payment of rent for her salon and her one-bedroom apartment, both in Qasimiya.
Her husband, who used to work in a water and power facility in Fujairah, died of a heart attack in 2016. Bushra invested most of his gratuity of around
Dh180,000 to take ownership of an existing ladies’ salon in Sharjah in 2017. However, business was too slow. Bushra is liable for around Dh45,000, or about a year’s rent on her salon, including court fees. She also has to clear around Dh25,000 in rent for the apartment.
“I cannot go home because of a travel ban due to the cases. Even if I could, we don’t have a place in Pakistan; my husband’s family live in what was his house there. I don’t know what to do,” she said.
She makes ends meet by preparing meals for office-goers, which brings in about Dh3,000 a month.