Girl commits suicide depressed over parents' detention in India, govt apathy

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Salis bin Perwaiz
A depressed young girl committed suicide reportedly because the government of Pakistan had failed to secure the release of her parents who have been languishing in Rajasthan jail in India in a visa tampering case for months.

A frustrated and depressed Saba Hussain, 20, daughter of Mohammed Hussain, who had not seen her parents for over year, committed suicide in the PIB Colony police limits on Tuesday. According to details provided by the police, the incident was reported inside house number 1176/1 situated near the Hashmi Mosque. It was added that the girl had committed suicide by consuming poison.

Her story is a tragic one. According to the siblings of Saba, they were a total of six sisters, no brothers, and Saba was the third eldest. Their father Mohammed Hussain was running a Rent-a-Car business in Karachi.

The family had relatives in Jodhpur, India, and, after a relaxation in the Indian visa policy, the couple had applied for an Indian visa which was granted, said one of their daughters. They were issued a six-month visa - from September 21, 2007, to March 21, 2008.

In September 2007, an excited Mohammed Hussain and mother Yasmeen travelled to India via the Thar Express from Monabao Station to visit their relatives across the border. During their stay, they met their relatives and remained in contact with their six daughters, telling them of their nostalgic journey across the border. Keeping in mind the expiry date of their visa, they had booked a ticket for Pakistan and were returning from via Rajasthan on March 20.

That is when things went wrong. While they were passing through the verification procedure, Indian intelligence personnel arrested them alleging that the visa they were travelling on was tampered. Meanwhile, their daughters were eagerly awaiting their arrival at the Thar Station - but they never came.

After the passage of time, the girls learnt that their parents had been detained along with 60 other Pakistanis on allegations of visa tampering.

The couple’s daughters alleged that their parents were in the custody of the Indian intelligence agencies in a jail situated in Nagoor, situated in Rajasthan, India.

The desperate and helpless siblings then approached the Interior Ministry of Pakistan, pleading with them to secure the release of their parents, but in vain. The couple were the bread-winners of the family. Without them, the sisters had been left in the lurch. As time passed by, nobody came to help. In fact, area people started taunting and teasing the six sisters.

As things continued in this fashion, 20-year-old Saba became increasingly frustrated and depressed. On Tuesday afternoon, her state came to a crescendo. She locked herself in her room and consumed poison to escape her misery. The shaken sisters have demanded justice from the government.

A few months back a boy named Adnan died in a road accident outside the Sindh Assembly building. A letter was found from the body of the young man, which was addressed to the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly. In the letter, young Adnan had mentioned that his mother was detained by the Indian authorities. He had demanded that she be returned to him as he could not survive without her.

Many Pakistanis remain detained by Indian authorities on allegations of tampering with visas and nothing concrete has been done by either side to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, their loved ones suffer at home.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144942