Geeta, an Indian girl who has spent the last 15 years of her life in Pakistan after she got separated from her parents and whose heart-rending story hogged the limelight after the release of Salman Khan’s blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan, will be reunited with her family soon.
The Indian Government, after verifying the hearing and speech impaired girl’s nationality said Geeta is the “daughter of India.”
Geeta, who is currently living in Karachi, has also identified her parents from one of the three pictures sent to her. However, the actual relationship will be established through a DNA test when she returns to India. In case it does not match then Geeta will stay in a special home for differently-abled people in Indore or Delhi.
“Geeta will be back in India soon. We have located her family. However, she will be handed over to the family only after the DNA test,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj broke the news on Twitter on Thursday.
It is said that Geeta was seven or eight years of age when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by Pakistan Rangers 15 years ago at the lahore railway station. Police took her to the Edhi Foundation in lahore from where she was shifted to Karachi. Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, TCA Raghavan and his wife had visited Geeta in August on the directions of Swaraj.
Once her nationality was established, the Indian Government approached Pakistan in a bid to bring Geeta back. Pakistan also promptly accepted India’s request. The Indian Government is now completing the procedure to bring Geeta back in another ten days or so.
“Geeta’s Indian nationality has already been verified and she will be brought back to India as her return to the country is not dependent on whether or not we discover her parents. She is the daughter of India. It is our duty to bring her back to her country very, very shortly,” said spokesman Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup.
After news about Geeta broke, several families approached the Ministry of External Affairs claiming that Geeta was their daughter. Flummoxed by the numerous claims, Swaraj asked the Chief Ministers of the States from where the claims were being made to verify the truth. later, three different photographs were sent to Geeta out of which she identified one family as hers. However, Swarup said that a conclusive proof of parentage could only be established through DNA testing.
“We need to have conclusive proof about her parents. If the DNA test verifies that they are indeed her parents then she will be handed over to them. If not, we have identified two institutions one in Delhi and one in Indore, which are meant for people with certain disabilities. We believe that Geeta will find a very good and welcoming home there. The procedure to bring her back is almost complete,” Swarup added. Two members of the Edhi Foundation that has been taking care of Geeta all these years will accompany the girl to New Delhi.