Sushma Swaraj fast-tracks Pakistani-origin woman’s visa for husband’s surgery

Woman had requested Indian External Affairs Minister to grant visa for her ailing husband

Indian External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has directed Indian embassy in Indonesia to grant visa to a Pakistani-origin woman whose ailing husband has to undergo liver transplant in Chennai.

Swaraj issued the directives for Shafiqa Bano after the latter on Monday told the minister her husband had to undergo a liver transplant in India.

On Wednesday, Swaraj tweeted to the woman asking her to contact the embassy as she had directed them to issue her a visa.

Shafiqa ji - Please contact the Indian Embassy. I hv asked them to issue visa for your husband's liver transplant in Chennai. @IndianEmbJkt https://t.co/MgJXam8kE0

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 26, 2016

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The minister is believed to have used her discretion to clear way for Bano without referring her case to Indian home affairs ministry. Clearance from the department is mandatory for visa clearance concerning Pakistani-origin persons, especially in applications made in third world countries.

Swaraj's action is understood to have been taken on humanitarian grounds considering the medical condition of the person in discussion.



Earlier on October 6, the External Affairs minister came to the aid of a Pakistani girl to ensure she gets admission in Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Medical College.

India and Pakistan have been involved in a tense verbal and diplomatic spat over the security situation in held Kashmir and frequent skirmishes on the Line of Control (LoC). More than 100 protesters have been killed in the held valley while several incidents of unprovoked Indian aggression on the LoC have frequently occurred in recent past.