
Almost fifteen years ago Geeta, a hearing and speech impaired girl from India, is said to have unwittingly strayed into Pakistan on the "Samjhauta Express" and has been stranded there ever since. Some activists in Pakistan have been trying to trace Geeta's family in India in a hope to unite them with their daughter for several years now. Prominent among them is Ansar Burney, Pakistan's former federal minister for human rights, who came to India a few years ago looking for Geeta's family. Not surprisingly, the man is being touted as Pakistan's "Bajranji Bhaijaan" owing to the similar script of the recent Salman Khan blockbuster. According to a Hindustan Times report, Burney acknowledged that it was the success of the film in both India and Pakistan which inspired them to carry on their mission with renewed zest. Their work has finally caught the attention of India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who on Monday tweeted to Burney, I have asked Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr TCA Raghavan to go to Karachi with Mrs Raghavan and meet this girl. @AnsarBurney — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 3, 2015Burney has recently taken his cause on the social media where it started generating significant traction and interest. "I went to India three years ago with photos and video of Geeta to try and find her family but I couldn’t trace any leads. My trust has started a cross-border campaign to try and find Geeta's relatives so that she can be handed over to them," Burney told Hindustan Times over the phone. "I would also appreciate it if the Indian government helps to find her family," he added. Geeta was apparently found by the police at the Wagah Railway station almost 15 years ago following which she was sent to a state-run shelter. Her real name was not known and Karachi-based rights activist Bilqees Edhi, with whom Geeta currently lives, gave her a new name. "The girl, whose age is about 22 to 24, keeps telling me through gestures that she wants to fly back home in an aeroplane. Sometimes, she cries a lot. I pray to Allah that she is reunited with her family soon," Bilqees told the paper.