Cross-border ties: Court seeks govt’s reply on Geeta’s custody

Authorities yet to provide her documents that prove her nationality

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) called on Friday the provincial government's comments on a Hindu welfare organisation's petition seeking custody of a deaf-mute Indian girl, Geeta.

Headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the division bench directed, however, the petitioner's lawyer to satisfy the court on the maintainability of the petition at the next hearing. The 22-year-old Geeta alias Guddi accidentally crossed the border into Pakistan 13 years ago and has been stranded here ever since. She has been staying at the Edhi shelter home.

Atam Parkash Chanani from the Hindu Help Line said that Geeta was found on Samjhota Express in Lahore and the police believed that she had come from India after crossing Wagah Border on the train.

Chanani's lawyer, Nadeem A Sheikh, said that since there was no identification or documentary evidence available with the authorities of both India and Pakistan relating to Geeta, they need necessary verifications to ascertain her original nationality and to find out her family and parents.

Therefore, it is necessary to ascertain Geeta's religion and the authorities are also liable to produce the relevant past records, her photographs so that her real identity can be ascertained, he stressed.

He cited the interior secretary, the ministry of foreign affairs, Rangers Punjab DG, the Punjab IG, the home secretary, the ministry of minorities' affairs and the Edhi welfare trust as respondents. The petitioner pleaded the court direct the respondents to produce the relevant records of Geeta and hand over her custody over to his NGO to take care of her according to Hindu religion.

Apart from this, a direction was also sought for the ministry of minorities' affairs to establish a shelter home for the Hindu community for the betterment of such homeless Hindu persons.

During Friday's proceedings, the judges issued notices to the Sindh AG to file the government's comments by September 22.

Meanwhile, the lawyer was asked to argue the maintainability of the plea.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th,  2015.