Ramzan’s mother meets Indian high commissioner to Pak

The Indian high commissioner to Pakistan on Tuesday met the mother of a 14-year-old boy stranded in Bhopal for two years, an activist said, raising hopes of the teenager’s return to his home in Karachi.

Published on: Nov 4, 2015, 11:30:50 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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The Indian high commissioner to Pakistan on Tuesday met the mother of a 14-year-old boy stranded in Bhopal for two years, an activist said, raising hopes of the teenager’s return to his home in Karachi.

The development came a few days after the speech and hearing impaired Geeta returned to India almost 15 years after straying into Pakistan.

Unlike Geeta, Md Ramzan had landed in India on his own two years ago after escaping from his allegedly abusive step-mother and father in Bangladesh. His father had allegedly moved to Bangladesh from Pakistan and re-married a couple of years ago.

The Indian high commissioner TCA Raghavan met Razia Begum, mother of Ramzan in Karachi.

The meeting came a day after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that “Geeta is happy in Indore. We will resolve Ramzan and Salman’s cases shortly. Our High Commissioner is in Karachi. Will meet Ramzan’s mother.” (sic)

Indian youth Salman Ahmed, 24, is stranded in Karachi for the 22 years. Salman’s family lives in Aligarh.

Burney told Hindustan Times over phone that Raghavan talked to Razia in the presence of representative of Burney Trust Shaguffta Burney.

Ansar Burney said “it’s a matter of great pleasure” for him as the minister considered the case of both Salman and Ramzan together.

Burney said, “Raghavan assured Ramzan’s mother that soon she will meet her son. He also asked Begum to get her passport. After getting passport, Indian high commission will issue visa to Razia so that he can go to Bhopal to meet her son.”

“I am sure that mother and son will reunite soon. Begum has already applied for Pakistani national identity card.”

Director, Childline, Bhopal chapter, where Ramzan is currently putting up, Archana Sahay, said, “Ramzan is very happy that the process of sending him to Pakistan has been initiated.”

Burney Trust had taken up the cause of Ramzan after HT broke the story about the boy in September, 2015, and also highlighted apathy of the state government agencies to repatriate the boy.

However, following Gita’s return to India, prime minister’s office (PMO) took up Ramzan’s case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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