Geeta, deaf-mute girl stranded in Pakistan denies she is married

Karachi: Amid reports that Geeta, a deaf-mute Indian girl who accidentally crossed over to Pakistan 14 years ago, has a husband and a son waiting for her at her native village, the 23-year-old has denied that she ever got married.

Media reports in India had cited residents of Geeta’s native village in Bihar’s Saharsa district saying she was married to Umesh Mahto when she was a minor. The reports said they have a son, who is now 12 years old.

Faisal Edhi — son of philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi — told PTI that they talked to Geeta following the reports.

“She communicated via Skype with the people she recognised as her family in the photograph sent by the Indian High Commission. They told her she was married and she denies she ever got married,” Faisal said.

“We also showed her the photograph published in the Indian media in which they claim the girl is Geeta. But when we showed her this photograph she said the girl was not her,” he said.

Faisal acknowledged that the situation is a bit complicated now as arrangements have been made to send Geeta to New Delhi on October 26.

“We are trying to speak to her to find out if she is hiding anything from us or misleading anyone,” he added.

Pakistan and India have begun arrangements to bring Geeta back home after she recognised her family in a photograph sent to the Edhi Foundation by the Indian High Commission.

Geeta was reportedly 7 or 8-years-old when Pakistani Rangers found her sitting alone in the Samjhauta Express at Lahore railway station about 14 years ago.

Police took Geeta to Edhi Foundation in Lahore and later shifted her to Karachi. She was adopted by the foundation’s Bilquees Edhi and lives with her in Karachi.

“Bilquees Edhi who has raised Geeta as her daughter will hopefully accompany her to New Delhi and we will like to first see the DNA tests done to confirm the family in the photograph is indeed Geeta’s mother and relatives before she is handed over to them,” Faisal said.

“The plan is that Geeta along with some members of the Edhi family will be travelling to India on 26th of this month. We have invited Edhi family to accompany Geeta and stay with her for a few days to help her settle down and also we would like to express our appreciation for the great assistance they have provided to our citizen during the many years she lived in Pakistan,” Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan said.

In response to a question, he said that last week Geeta recognised some of the people in the photographs shown to her.

“That is a step forward. Of course, a number of years have passed till the time she seen her family members. So certainly detailed tests have to be carried out and that is indeed the plan before it can finally be said that these are indeed the family members,” he told an Indian news channel.