Taiba Sultana traveled to Pakistan recently in hopes of bringing her mother back to the Lehigh Valley to continue cancer treatment.<\/p>\n
Her mother died before she could make it. After the funeral, all Sultana wanted to do was return home to Easton.<\/p>\n
But as conflict escalated in the region, Sultana earlier this week found herself stranded, traveling between multiple airports as she sought to return to her family to \u201cbegin healing together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sultana, a former Easton City Council member, shared her story Friday as she spoke out about the wider impact of the war in Iran, which began last Saturday when U.S. and Israeli forces launched an attack that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n
Sultana said in her quest to return to Easton from Pakistan, she spent more than 50 hours traveling, including \u201c34 hours without foot and sleep, surrounded by hundreds of frightened families, unsure if I would ever see my children again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two of her confirmed flights, via Qatar and Dubai, were canceled, she said. Saudi airspace remained open, however, so she quickly booked another flight out of Riyadh. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we boarded the plane \u2026 everyone looked exhausted but relieved,\u201d she said, standing outside the Northampton County Government Center in Easton on Friday. \u201cSome families had already been traveling for more than a day. Children were sleeping in their parents\u2019 arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
They boarded the plane, but it did not move. Sultana said it stayed there for three hours before everyone was ordered off. Then, they learned a drone hit diplomatic facilities in Riyadh, and flights were halted, she said.<\/p>\n
Sultana said there were hundreds of stranded travelers, many of them Pakistani-Americans or Saudi-Americans, just trying to get home. They were taken to nearby hotels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was sitting there grieving my mother, exhausted and terrified, wondering if I would ever see my own children again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Many passengers were making calls to family to tell them they love them. It would end up being 34 hours before she could leave, during which she did not sleep or eat, she said.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\u201cThose hours were some of the most traumatic of my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sultana, noting the Lehigh Valley is home to many immigrants, said her ordeal could reflect what other area residents are experiencing.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThey live in two countries basically,\u201d she said. \u201cOne where their parents live, and another where their children live.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sultana, a Democrat who has announced a primary bid for the 18th District state Senate seat held by Sen. Lisa Boscola, has criticized the U.S. military action against Iran, and said Friday it was clear the war extends beyond the battlefield, impacting airports, classrooms and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Donald Trump said his approach would make America safer,\u201d she said. \u201cBut as I sat in that airport for 34 hours without food and sleep, surrounded by terrified families, it felt painfully clear that reckless escalation is putting Americans at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sultana, who was elected in 2021, represented Easton\u2019s South Side residents. She lost her re-election bid during last year\u2019s primary.<\/a><\/p>\n