Geeta meets Sushma Swaraj, says her heart was always in India

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, October 26, 2015: Shortly after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Monday morning where she was received by her father and brothers, Geeta, who was stranded in Pakistan for nearly 15 years, met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and said her heart was always in India.

 

The 23-year-old deaf and mute Indian arrived in the national capital on Pakistan International Airlines flight 272 from Karachi. Dressed in a red and white suit, she seemed happy but composed. She was accompanied by members of the Edhi Foundation which had taken care of her all these years.

Geeta was about 11 years of age when she inadvertently crossed the border into Pakistan in 2003. She was spotted by the Pakistan Rangers in Lahore, and was handed over to Edhi. Bilquis Edhi, who runs the Edhi Foundation, named her Geeta.

On Monday, Indian and Pakistani officials were present at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to receive her. Media in-charge at the Pakistan High Commission Manzoor Ali Memon said the commission would hold a reception for Geeta in the evening.

Memon, however, said Salman Khan-starer Hindi film ’Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ had nothing to do with Geeta’s homecoming as the process of bringing her back to India was launched much earlier in 2012. "It’s a message of love and affection between the two countries and has nothing to do with the movie," he said.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Geeta has already identified one family as possibly being that of her parents. "We will be doing DNA testing to establish conclusive proof. If the DNA tests match, Geeta will be handed over to that family. If not, we have identified suitable institutions where she will be looked after," he said.

Questions still remain over whether or not Geeta had a daughter when she disappeared, though she is believed to have been 11 or 12 when she was found in Lahore by Pakistani police. Officials said even if the DNA test proves she is not related to the family from Bihar, they will place her in a suitable institution.

 

 

Courtesy: Indiatoday