After Geeta's return, India's Salman Ahmed stranded in Pakistan, hopes to come back

Islamabad/New Delhi, Oct 28: A day after Geeta, who accidentally crossed over to Pakistan when she was 11-year-old, was welcomed to her country with open arms, another "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" tale has unfolded.

Now, 24-year-old Salman Ahmed, an Indian national from Jaiganj in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh is hoping to return to India, as he has been stranded in the neighbouring country for over twenty years.

According to reports, his parents-- Hafiz Vaqar and Salma Vaqar are struggling to get back their son, who is in Karachi.

In 1994, Salma, a mother of seven children, had gone to Pakistan on Noori Visa, to meet her parents, along with her two sons and husband. When two-year-old Salman (her fifth child) fell ill, she left him at her parents home and returned to India, as her visa had expired.

Salman, who is living in fear of an 'illegal' resident' also wants to come back to India.

As her son's memory, she has his two photographs- one was taken in 1993, when Salman was sitting in her lap and another was taken in 2006 in Pakistan.

Salman's maternal grandparents looked after him, but his grandfather passed away in 2004 and his grand mother is also not in good health.

48-year-old Salma told a daily that her childless sister had formally adopted her son, but she may not take care of him now.

In 2012, her family had written to the Ministry of External Affairs, explaining under what circumstances she had to leave Salman in Pakistan.

Salma said that her family members also took the matter to the Indian High Commission in Pakistan on March 23, 2013, but got no response.

On April 5 this year, Salman's parents even wrote to the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying, "Our son is neither a Pakistani nor an Indian. How can we get him back?"

The helpless couple have been running from pillar to post, in a hope to get back their son.

Salman told a daily that his mother and sister Nida has visited him twice in 2006 and in 2012, but they were unable to make arrangement for his return to India.

Aligarh MP Satish Gautam has also assured the family that he will take up the matter with the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, TOI reported.

Salma has seven children- Danish, Nida, Hina, Zeeshan, Salman, Kamran and Rehan. She got married to Hafiz in 1981 and Salman was born in 1991.

OneIndia News