Swaraj, known to come to the aid of Indians overseas through social media, said that the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan will go and meet the girl.
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Swaraj was responding to a tweet from leading rights activist and Pakistan’s former human rights minister Ansar Burney, who has launched a fresh campaign to reunite the woman with her family in India. The Punjab Rangers brought her to the Edhi Foundation some 14 years ago, said Faisal Edhi of the social welfare group.
Geeta, christened by Bilqees Edhi, a human rights activist, was 7-8 years old when she was found by the Pakistan police 15 years ago from Lahore railway station soon after Samjhauta Express left the platform.
Geeta was nine when she crossed into Pakistan territory.
Sobbing silently, she frantically points first at Jharkhand and then Telangana, trying hard to tell something of her past. According to Faisal, the only clear information Geeta has been able to communicate is that she had eleven siblings including seven brothers and four sisters.
Geeta smiles as she shows one of her writings in Hindi.
While Salman Khan’s latest film is creating waves of success across India and Pakistan, a real life Bajrangi Bhaijaan story has now arrested the attention of the Indian government as a speech-impaired woman has been stuck in Pakistan for over 14 years since she accidentally crossed over as a child. “My trust has started a cross-border campaign to try and find Geeta’s relatives so that she can be handed over to them”, Burney said, as reported by Dawn.
For latest news on mobile and tablet, download IndiaTV Android app and iOS app. I am heading to India on September 2, he said, to meet H.H. Dalailama and I would visit areas to find family of Geeta.
The foundation’s activists persuaded Geeta to begin a new life in Pakistan with a Hindu boy. She wassoon moved to a home in Karachi. Amongst Geeta’s writings, the numbers “193” make a frequent appearance.
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The Salman Khan movie revolves around a speech-impaired girl from Pakistan who finds herself in India with no way to return home. Faisal draws a house on a piece of paper and hands her a pen. However, the specially challenged girl could only recognize the map of India, apart from the number “193” which she repeatedly wrote. “An Indian girl stranded in Pakistan”.
