KARACHI: Shabana Jilani, a police officer in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, emerged as an unlikely Internet star this month amid a media flurry surrounding American woman Onijah Robinson’s months-long stay in Pakistan.
Jilani’s composure and professional yet empathetic interactions with Robinson, who was abandoned by a Pakistani man she befriended online, were captured in viral TikTok videos, highlighting not only her dedication to duty but also the human side of Pakistani law enforcement.
The 33-year-old New Yorker arrived in Pakistan in October last year, hoping to marry her 19-year-old paramour, though their relationship took a dramatic turn when her intended partner abandoned her following family objections.
Left stranded, Robinson spent nearly 30 hours outside the man’s home before being taken to a shelter and later admitted to the psychiatric ward of a local medical facility.
As law enforcers were on their way to take her to the hospital, Jilani received a call from a superior officer asking her to provide security for Robinson. What followed was the making of an unexpected bond between the police officer and Robinson, marked by brief conversations and heartfelt moments that captured the Internet’s attention.
“My first meeting with Madam Onjiah took place at Jinnah Hospital, when she was being admitted,” Jilani told Arab News at her police station in Karachi. “I had a conversation with her there and it was a good experience. We spoke in a good manner.”
She said she was fulfilling her professional responsibility during her interaction with the American woman, though videos of their exchange revealed how they developed a human connection. While Jilani ensured Robinson’s safety, it was her caring attitude — helping the American loosely drape a shawl over her shoulders — that was admired by netizens.
Jilani said that while ensuring the visiting woman’s safety was her job, it was also her moral responsibility to be empathetic toward her.
“We spoke to her with love, respect and kindness, and in return, we received the same,” the police officer said.
Jilani’s husband, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ali Asghar Dahiri, lost his life in an encounter with militants in Karachi’s Landhi area in 2008, but she has continued to serve in the police force despite this personal tragedy and has dedicated about two decades of her life to policing in Karachi.
“When we joined the police department, we were given training that taught us how to face tough situations so that we could handle every challenge and difficulty,” she said.
But her interactions with ordinary people, including Robinson, reveal a softer side of the field-hardened policewoman.
And the online reaction to her videos has been overwhelming.
“I am grateful to everyone for this,” she said. “We fulfilled our professional duty while also showing respect and kindness.”
Jilani expressed her satisfaction with the videos, which have conveyed a positive message about Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies.
“They [social media users abroad] have also seen that Pakistan, its female police officers, and all our law enforcement agencies are doing a great job,” she said.
“So, a positive message has been conveyed to the world, one that highlights good behavior, strong ethics, respect and love.”
But above all, Jilani says, her interactions with Robinson were among the most memorable for her, recalling how she accompanied the American visitor to the airport for her departure on Feb. 7 after spending more than three months in Pakistan.
“She said to me, ‘I miss you so much, Shabana,’” Jilani recalled. “Good memories, good times, and beautiful moments. Just as she remembers them, so do I.”
Pakistani policewoman’s kindness toward American visitor shoots her to online fame
https://arab.news/vt8ew
Pakistani policewoman’s kindness toward American visitor shoots her to online fame
- Shabana Jilani provided security to Onijah Robinson, an American who arrived in Pakistan seeking her online love
- While Robinson’s story made headlines, Jilani’s friendly interactions with her brought the officer online fame
Pakistan puts border districts on high alert amid Iran protests — official
- The development comes as Iranian authorities try to suppress protests over faltering economy, with over 2,600 killed
- Militancy in Balochistan has declined following the return of nearly 1 million Afghans, the additional chief secretary says
QUETTA: Pakistan has heightened security along districts bordering Iran as violent protests continue to engulf several Iranian cities, a top official in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province said on Thursday, with authorities stepping up vigilance to guard against potential spillover.
The development comes as Iranian authorities try to suppress protests, which began late last month over the country’s faltering economy and the collapse of its currency, with more than 2,600 killed in weeks of violence in the Islamic republic.
The clampdown on demonstrations, the worst since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution, has drawn threats from the United States (US) of a military intervention on behalf of the protesters, raising fears of further tensions in an already volatile region.
Pakistan, which shares a 909-kilometer-long border with Iran in its southwest, has said that it is closely monitoring the situation in the neighboring country and advised its citizens to keep essential travel documents with them amid the unrest.
“The federal government is monitoring the situation regarding what is happening in Iran and the provincial government is in touch with the federal government,” Hamza Shafqaat, an additional chief secretary at the Balochistan Home Department, told
Arab News in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
“As far as the law and order is concerned in all bordering districts with Iran, we are on high alert and as of now, the situation is very normal and peaceful at the border.”
Asked whether Islamabad had suspended cross-border movement and trade with Iran, Shafqaat said trade was ongoing, but movement of tourists and pilgrims had been stopped.
“There were few students stuck in Iran, they were evacuated, and they reached Gwadar,” he said. “Around 200 students are being shifted to their home districts.”
SITUATION ON PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER
Pakistan’s Balochistan province has long been the site of an insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists and religiously motivated groups like the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Besides Iran, the province shares more around 1,000-kilometer porous border with Afghanistan.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil for attacks against Pakistan, an allegation denied by Kabul. In Oct., Pakistan and Afghanistan engaged in worst border clashes in decades over a surge in militancy in Pakistan. While the neighbors agreed to a ceasefire in Doha that month, relations between them remain tensed.
Asked about the government’s measures to secure the border with Afghanistan, Shafqaat said militancy in the region had declined following the return of nearly 1 million Afghan nationals as part of a repatriation drive Islamabad announced in late 2023.
“There is news that some of them keep on coming back from one border post or some other areas because we share a porous border and it is very difficult to man every inch of this border,” he said.
“On any intervention from the Afghanistan side, our security agencies which are deputed at the border are taking daily actions.”
LAW AND ORDER CHALLENGE
Balochistan witnessed 167 bomb blasts among over 900 militant attacks in 2025, which killed more than 400 people, according to the provincial government’s annual law and order report. But officials say the law-and-order situation had improved as compared to the previous year.
“More than 720 terrorists were killed in 2025 which is a higher number of operations against terrorists in many decades, while over a hundred terrorists were detained by law enforcement agencies in 90,000-plus security operations in Balochistan,” Shafqaat said.
The provincial government often suspended mobile Internet service in the southwestern province on various occasions last year, aimed at ensuring security in Balochistan.
“With that step, I am sure we were able to secure hundreds of lives,” Shafqaat said, adding it was only suspended in certain areas for less than 25 days last year.
“The Internet service through wireless routers remained open for the people in the entire year, we closed mobile Internet only for people on the roads because the government understands the difficulties of students and business community hence we are trying to reduce the closure of mobile Internet.”
