Celebrated social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi on Tuesday declined an offer of Rs. 1 crore by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his charity.
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Apparently, Edhi had noted that he had never sought any governmental help, including from Pakistan government, and that the foundation was entirely run on charity. Describing the Edhi family as the apostle of kindness and compassion, Modi thanked them for taking good care of Geeta.
“What the Edhi family has done is too priceless to be measured”. He also announced a Rs. 1 crore rupee donation for the foundation.
After two days in Delhi, Geeta, who can’t speak or hear, left for Indore, where she will be staying at an institution for aurally challenged till her family is located by the government.
Monitoring Desk adds: A day after returning to India from Pakistan where she was stranded for years, speech and hearing impaired Geeta met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee – who called her “a symbol of India-Pakistan unity”.
However, contradictory to these reports, Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that they were in touch with Bilquis Bano, who had been Geeta’s mother figure all these years, and she had “graciously accepted” the offer.
The Indian president said, “You are the daughter of both the countries”.
Mingling with political leaders continued for the 23-year-old on Tuesday when she met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in the Capital. “God has listened to your prayers”, a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement quoted Mukherjee as telling her. Her plight came to light after the release of Salman Khan starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan, where the hero unites a girl separated from her Pakistani mother who was visiting India. Reports from Pakistan said the Edhi Foundation is also considering writing a letter to the Indian Prime Minister to apprise him of its policy and express gratitude for his gesture.
After meeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Geeta boarded a Delhi Metro train at the Civil Lines station in the city’s north and travelled all the way to Patel Chowk station, near parliament.
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At the Patel Chowk station, she was taken around the Metro Museum that houses several exhibits related to the construction and operations of the metro network.
