Sushma Swaraj grants visa to another ailing Pakistani

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj continues to win friends and influence people - on Wednesday, she assured a Pakistani woman that her ailing daughter would be granted a visa to travel to India, despite tensions between the two countries.

A woman with the handle 'nidashoaib1' informed Swaraj that her seven-year-old daughter, who is in urgent need of open heart surgery, has been awaiting her Indian visa since August.

"Respected @SushmaSwaraj mam my daughter need open heart surgery i aplied in aug stil the visa is in process pls help us i m very thankful u," she tweeted.



The helpess mother drew the minister's attention to her daughter's congenital heart defect, which has rendered her unable to carry out basic activities like attend school, run, etc.



Taking cognizance of the tweets, the minister responded, "Yes, we are allowing Visa for your 7 years old daughter's open heart surgery in India. We also pray for her early recovery."



The child's surgery will be carried out at a Noida hospital.

This is not the first time Swaraj has used her 'social media diplomacy'+ to help those across the border in urgent need of medical treatment.

In August, on the occasion of India's 70th Independence Day, the minister assured a Pakistani woman suffering from cancer that she would be granted a visa for treatment in India.

Even while she generously grants visas, Swaraj often hits out at the Pakistani establishment for making the process difficult for its citizens.

In July, she assured a medical visa to another Pakistani individual, all the while lambasting her counterpart Sartaj Aziz for not providing a necessary letter that is stipulated as part of the rules. Swaraj questioned, "Did Sartaj Aziz not give a letter approving an Indian visa even in such a serious case as yours?"

In another incident that very month, Swaraj assured a visa to a man from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir + (PoK), without any letter from Aziz. Swaraj said the rules do not apply to the individual in question, essentially reiterating that PoK "is an integral part of India."