Karachi: A deaf and mute Indian girl, who was rescued by a social welfare organisation in Pakistan after she mistakenly ended up in this country before being sent back to India in 2015, has finally been reunited with her real mother in Maharashtra, according to a Pakistani media report Wednesday.
Bilquees Edhi the wife of late Abdul Sattar Edhi, who now runs the world famous Edhi Welfare Trust and who developed a close bond with Geeta said the Indian girl had finally been reunited with her real mother in Maharashtra state, Dawn newspaper reported.
“She has been in touch with me and this weekend she finally told me the good news about meeting her real mother,” Bilquees said.
“Her real name is Radha Waghmare and she found her mother in Naigaon village in the state of Maharashtra,” she also confirmed to PTI here.
Geeta captured the attention of the media and governments in both countries in 2015 but according to Bilquees they had found Geeta when she was around 11-12 years old at a railway station and gave her shelter at their centre in Karachi.
“Somehow she strayed into Pakistan and was shelterless when we found her in Karachi,” she said.
“She stayed at the Edhi centre for years and I took care of her and we named her Fatima later when I realised she was a Hindu we named her Geeta and even though she couldn’t speak or hear but we communicated properly through sign language,” Bilquees said.
In 2015 after Geeta’s story broke out, the late Indian external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj made arrangements for her to be flown back home.
Bilquees said that it had taken nearly four and half years for Geeta to find her real parents and this was confirmed through DNA tests.
“Geeta has also recognised her mother and she lives with her family in Naigaon village now.
“Her biological father died a few years back so her mother, Meena remarried,” she said.
Bilquees Edhi said she was just happy that Geeta who was like a daughter to her had finally reunited with her real family.
“To be lost for such a long time from your family is difficult for anyone and especially for someone special like Geeta,” she added.
PTI