Indian woman returns from Pakistan to find lost family

AFP, NEW DELHI: A mute and deaf Indian woman who strayed into Pakistan more than a decade ago finally returned to her home country Monday but soon said she could not recognise the family she thought was hers.
The young woman, known only as Geeta, smiled, waved and fought back tears after landing at New Delhi airport clutching bouquets of flowers and escorted by charity workers and officials.
She was hopeful of reuniting with
people that she believed were her long-lost family after identifying them earlier this month in photographs delivered by Indian officials in Pakistan.
But in a tragic twist just hours after
arriving in Delhi, Geeta told officials she did not know the Mahato family from India’s eastern state of Bihar.
“She recognised one family after we showed her their pictures. But after meeting the Mahato family today, she could not recognise them,” Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said at a press conference alongside Geeta.
Geeta’s story has been closely followed in both countries in recent months at a time of heightened tensions between the arch rivals.
Geeta remained upbeat despite the disappointment, with a sign language interpreter saying “She used to be sad in Pakistan but after coming here she is happy.”
Swaraj said Geeta would be placed in an institution if DNA test results confirmed that the family was not hers and would keep searching for her real one.
“The family has submitted their blood samples and Geeta has also given her samples. We will have scientific proof before handing her to any family,” she said.
Geeta was 11 or 12 when she crossed one of the world’s most militarised borders from neighbouring India. She became stuck in Pakistan because she was unable to identify herself or say where she came from.
Now believed to be in her early 20s, Geeta remained under the care of Pakistan’s largest welfare organisation, the Edhi Foundation, living in a shelter in the port city of Karachi.
Even the name “Geeta” was given to her by Edhi staff.
In an interview with AFP this month, Geeta was confident the family from Bihar was hers and had kept their framed photograph in a steel case ever since seeing it.

 

Indian woman returns from Pakistan to find lost family

AFP, NEW DELHI: A mute and deaf Indian woman who strayed into Pakistan more than a decade ago finally returned to her home country Monday but soon said she could not recognise the family she thought was hers. The young woman, known only as Geeta, smiled, waved and fought back tears after landing at New Delhi airport clutching bouquets of flowers and escorted by charity workers and officials. She was hopeful of reuniting with people that she believed were her long-lost family after identifying them earlier this month in photographs delivered by Indian officials in Pakistan. But in a tragic twist just hours after arriving in Delhi, Geeta told officials she did not know the Mahato family from Indias eastern state of Bihar. She recognised one family after we showed her their pictures. But after meeting the Mahato family today, she could not recognise them, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said at a press conference alongside Geeta. Geetas story has been closely followed in both countries in recent months at a time of heightened tensions between the arch rivals. Geeta remained upbeat despite the disappointment, with a sign language interpreter saying She used to be sad in Pakistan but after coming here she is happy. Swaraj said Geeta would be placed in an institution if DNA test results confirmed that the family was not hers and would keep searching for her real one. The family has submitted their blood samples and Geeta has also given her samples. We will have scientific proof before handing her to any family, she said. Geeta was 11 or 12 when she crossed one of the worlds most militarised borders from neighbouring India. She became stuck in Pakistan because she was unable to identify herself or say where she came from. Now believed to be in her early 20s, Geeta remained under the care of Pakistans largest welfare organisation, the Edhi Foundation, living in a shelter in the port city of Karachi. Even the name Geeta was given to her by Edhi staff. In an interview with AFP this month, Geeta was confident the family from Bihar was hers and had kept their framed photograph in a steel case ever since seeing it.