Humanity over politics

Pakistan, India should form joint commission for tracing those who accidentally crossed borders, help them return

The story of the Indian girl, Geeta, who has been stranded in Pakistan for the past 13 years, is a heartrending one. She is believed to have mistakenly crossed into Pakistan as an 11-year-old and has been here ever since. Geeta is speech and hearing impaired and when she accidentally crossed over to Pakistan’s side of Punjab, Rangers personnel handed her over to the Edhi Foundation, which has looked after her ever since. Being unable to speak or hear has made Geeta’s reunion with her family a difficult prospect and for years, the Edhi Foundation has been making efforts to trace her family and hometown, but with little success. Geeta’s story first came to the fore in the media in 2012 and a delegation from the Indian High Commission visited her. However, nothing of consequence happened in the aftermath of the visit and the issue was soon forgotten. Now, once again, it seems that there are efforts afoot to trace her family, with the Indian high commissioner having paid a visit to Geeta, and we hope that this time she is returned to her family.

Unfortunately, for both Pakistan and India, Geeta’s story is not an isolated one. In fact, her circumstances are way better than those countless people, both adults and children, who have been languishing in jails for years, for accidentally crossing the border. In January this year, a Pakistani teenage boy was released after serving four years in an Indian jail on a charge of illegally crossing the border. Fishermen are also routinely kept in detentions for years for crossing the invisible borders at sea — a practice that is illogical and inhumane, yet it continues unimpeded. This August marks 68 years to Partition. In all these years, countless people have suffered because of hostilities between India and Pakistan. It’s time the two countries formed a joint commission tasked with tracing those who accidentally cross borders and help them return to their families. When it comes to solving problems of ordinary Indians and Pakistanis, bureaucratic mindsets shouldn’t be allowed to become obstacles.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th,  2015.

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