India vows to take up case of Pakistani debarred from taking medical test

Sushma Swaraj says she will 'personally take up' Mashal's case for admission in a medical college

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday vowed to 'personally' take up the case of a Pakistani migrant girl debarred from taking a pre-medical test in Indian.

"Mashal - Don't be disappointed my child. I will personally take up your case for admission in a medical college," Swaraj tweeted.

Mashal - Don't be disappointed my child. I will personally take up your case for admission in a Medical College. @aajtak

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 29, 2016

Mashal, a 17-year-old Hindu girl of Pakistani origin, was precluded from taking the all-India pre-medical test because of her status as a foreigner.



Mashal’s parents moved to Jaipur from Pakistan almost two years ago to avoid alleged religious persecution, as well as to see their daughter become a doctor.

Rewarded for her efforts, Mashal scored 91 per cent on her Central Board of Seconday Education examinations. However, the joy and celebrations of the family were short-lived and more than offset when they discovered that Mashal was denied candidature for the pre-medical tests — the entrance examination for admission in undergraduate medical course.

Mashal’s family could not afford to send her to any private medical universities by virtue of exorbitant fee structures, therefore, the only option was to try admitting her in a university of the union. Government medical institutions only accommodate Indian nationals. To their misfortune, the family’s legal status in India was still classified as ‘foreign’.



Seeking the government’s intervention in her case, Hindu Singh Sodha of the Seemant Lok Sangathan, an organisation working with Pakistani Hindu migrants, said, “First the government allows them to seek refuge here to escape religious persecution, and then treats them as Pakistani nationals. If the government can’t provide them opportunities, they should not be allowed to come here.”