Geeta had strayed into Pakistan at the age of 11 and was handed over to the Edhi Foundation by the police, who found her at Lahore railway station.
Geeta, the deaf and mute Indian woman, paid tribute to former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had helped her return from Pakistan where she was stranded for 15 years. Sushma Swaraj, 67, passed away on Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Geeta paid tribute to the former External Affairs Minister in a special video message for late Sushma Swaraj. Geeta had unknowingly crossed the border around 15 years ago and entered into Pakistan. She returned to India in 2015 after countless efforts by the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Geeta returned to India on October 26, 2015. Speaking on her return, the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said, "the process to bring back Geeta started after a news channel reported about her. Sometime back there was a TV report saying that a girl had gone across the border by mistake and she wants to come back. She was in the Edhi Foundation there. I immediately asked Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan Raghavan ji to look into the matter," Swaraj said.
"He (Indian High Commissioner) went to Karachi, inquired there and told me that the girl is definitely Indian and she wants to come to India. She gave him some information about her home and surroundings," she added.
Also Read: Watch—PM Modi struggles to hold back tears as he pays last respects to Sushma Swaraj
Swaraj had further said that Geeta had failed to recognise the photographs of two families, which had claimed that she was their daughter.
After a lot of efforts, Geeta recognised members of a Mahato family.
"We sent their photos to Geeta and she recognised them, she asked for photographs of her siblings. She recognised a few of them. We decided that we would bring her back, but also thought that there has to a scientific way to establish her relationship with parents," Swaraj said. "We decided to conduct DNA testing of both. We took Mahato couple's blood samples and collected Geeta's blood sample also today, we have sent both for testing," she added.
However, after her return from Pakistan, Geeta failed to recognise her family. Sushma Swaraj had said that Geeta will be kept in an institution in Indore as she has failed to recognise Mahato couple. She will be under the care of the government till DNA tests establish Geeta's parentage. Swaraj had called her the daughter of India.
Geeta had strayed into Pakistan at the age of 11 and was handed over to the Edhi Foundation by the police, who found her at Lahore railway station.
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 "Geeta and Sushma Swaraj")
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