Speaking to The Indian Express over phone from Karbala, group leader Sayeda Zainab said, “Masooma and Zahira are still in shock after seeing how violently their husbands were killed... We are so helpless here, we have just been sitting in our rooms, waiting for our passports.’’ Fatma refused to speak but Masooma said that she is just waiting to reach India. “All our money, passports, everything was looted from us. Woh shehtan ke tarah aaye, aur sabh loot ke chale gaye,’’ Zainab said.

So far, the women have been provided food and shelter by the Grand Ayatollah Bashir al Najafy, junior to Ayatollah Ali Sistani. They are being looked after by Allahabad-born Maulana Ghulam Asdi Zaidi, who is a student of Al Najafy in Baghdad.

“The Ayatollah has deputed me to look after the women, and we are providing them with food, have put them up in a hotel, and are giving them assistance with their documentation,’’ Zaidi said. “We also took them to Najaf today to see the Imam Ali Shrine there. Even the women who lost their husbands also went to Najaf.’’

“The Indian Embassy has told us the passports are ready. If they reach us today, then we will be able to send them to Tehran after two days, from where they can catch their flights to India,’’ he said.

Charge d’ affaires in Baghdad, Kedar Singh, said, “We are issuing passports to the group today, after which they can begin their journey back to India. But even after the passports are issued, it will be an uphill journey for them. They will have to obtain Iraqi exit permits to leave the country. After this, they have to obtain Iranian visas, which they will get from the Iranian consulate here in Karbala. After this, the ladies will make their way to Tehran by road.’’

Regarding tickets for their flight back to India, he said: “There is no need to get new tickets, as they already have tickets from Tehran. They will just have to get duplicate tickets, as the originals have been stolen.’’

However, in east Godavari, Beig’s eldest son Abbas

Ali said: “We have not received information from anyone in the government telling us when our mothers will arrive and what is happening in Iraq.’’