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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Indian lawyer’s petition seeking custody of Geeta rejected

KARACHI: A district and sessions court on Thursday rejected a petition by an Indian lawyer seeking the custody of Geeta, a deaf-mute woman who lost her family when she wandered over one of the world’s most militarised borders as a child, saying the two nations should resolve the issue diplomatically.

The Hindu woman, now in her early 20s, was around 11

By REUTERS
September 03, 2015
KARACHI: A district and sessions court on Thursday rejected a petition by an Indian lawyer seeking the custody of Geeta, a deaf-mute woman who lost her family when she wandered over one of the world’s most militarised borders as a child, saying the two nations should resolve the issue diplomatically.

The Hindu woman, now in her early 20s, was around 11 years old when she inadvertently crossed the border from India to Pakistan. It was a mistake that would lead to a long search for her family that captivated the public after a hit film with a similar plot was released last month.

In August, an Indian lawyer filed an application with the Pakistani court through local lawyers, asking that the court invoke a law that allows a judge "to compel restoration of abducted females".

"The issue in hand is to be resolved with consent of both the countries," the court order read.

The judge said it was for the government of India to decide whether Geeta was an Indian national and hence it was outside the court´s jurisdiction to order sending her back to India.

Since stumbling into Pakistan, Geeta has lived in a home for lost and abandoned children, say officials at the charitable Edhi Foundation.

Indian High Commissioner T.C.A. Raghavan has visited Geeta at the Edhi centre in Karachi and said he would do everything in his power to take her back to India.

The movie "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" was released last month. Superstar Salman Khan plays an Indian man who finds a mute Pakistani girl and tries to reunite her with her family.

The scriptwriters were unaware of Geeta´s story, but the movie led to a surge in interest in her case.