The Panesars have been front and centre of EastEnders this year, with the news of Nish’s terminal illness causing chaos amongst the family. There have been sordid deals, secret pacts, and several near deaths –
and there is undoubtedly more drama to come.
In this week’s episodes, Nish continues his attempts to bring him and Suki back together and decides to reach out to Habiba Ahmed – the mother of their grandson Tye.
It has been a few years since Habiba has set foot in Albert Square, so you might need a quick refresher. Who is Habiba, and why does she have a difficult relationship with the Panesars
Who is Habiba Ahmed?
Habiba first arrived in Walford in 2019 with her sister Iqra, and the pair were in search of their uncle Masood – who at that point owned half of Walford East. But shortly after, Masood left the Square for a new life in Australia and gave his half of the business to the sisters.
During her time in Walford, Habiba had an affair with Adam Bateman, who was seeing Honey Mitchell at the time. Habiba and Adam had a previous relationship, as Adam was fostered by Habiba’s grandparents at the time.
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But Adam was a serial cheater, and Iqra later found out that he was also seeing a third woman. Iqra told Honey about Adam’s betrayal, who then exposed him publicly, before Adam left Walford in disgrace.
In 2020, Habiba started a relationship with Jags Panesar, but their relationship remained a secret for a while for religious reasons – Habiba was Muslim and Jags was Sikh. Their romance was likely to be a problem for the Panesars, and sure enough, Suki wasn’t happy when the relationship was revealed.
Around the same time, Jags’ brother Vinny set up a robbery at the club with Ruby to claim insurance on the money that was ‘stolen’. But when Martin turned up unexpectedly and chased after Vinny, he attacked Martin while still wearing his balaclava.
Angry about Jags’ new relationship, Suki decided frame him for Vinny’s crime and handed in his jeans to the police – which were stained with Martin’s blood because he discovered his body.
Why did Habiba leave EastEnders?
In October 2020, Jags was arrested and sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Habiba left the Square several weeks later after falling out with Iqra, who chose to stand by her girlfriend Ash Panesar over her sister.
While Habiba never returned to Walford, in 2021 Iqra revealed that Habiba was pregnant with Jags’ baby, and that June she gave birth off-screen to a boy who she named Tyrion.
But meanwhile in prison, Jags faced danger from a gang of inmates, and the Panesars were eventually told the tragic news that he was killed in an attack in his cell.
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Why has Habiba been mentioned?
It is clear that Habiba doesn’t have a good relationship with the Panesars, considering that it was Suki who put Jags in prison in the first place. But this week, Nish has continued his mysterious plan to make amends before his death, and he requested that Vinny reach out to Habiba.
He wanted him and Suki to spend time with their grandson Tye, in order to bring them closer together. However, Vinny’s request didn’t go down well, and he recalled to Nish that she’d said “she’d rather poke her eyes out with a rusty pair of tweezers” than let Suki see Jags’ son.
But Nish wanted him to try again, stressing that he was dying and was running out of time. In the end, Vinny managed to talk her round and arranged a visit, though Habiba likely doesn’t know that Tye will be seeing Suki.
Will Habiba return to EastEnders?
There haven’t been any hints that actor Rukku Nahar could reprise her role as Habiba, but considering she is at least in contact with Vinny, a future return isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
Plus, in Tuesday’s episode, Suki and Eve looked to the future and the potential of being allowed to see Tye more regularly. If Suki does get the chance to be in her grandson’s life going forward, who knows whether we might see Habiba again?
