Geeta India's daughter, won't be sent back to Pakistan: Sushma Swaraj
Indore, Nov 20: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Tuesday said Geeta, a hearing and speech impaired person who was brought to India from Pakistan three years ago, would never be sent back.
"Geeta is the daughter of India. Even if she does not meet her family, she will never be sent back to Pakistan. The Indian government will foster her," Sushma told reporters here.
"I am also toiling to find her parents as she has attained marriageable age, and efforts are on to get her married," the minister added.
Swaraj said DNA tests were carried out on eight couples who had claimed that they were Geeta's parents but the efforts did not bear fruit.
A centre here has been given special responsibility of taking care of Geeta after she returned from Pakistan on October 26, 2015.
Pakistan Rangers had found Geeta , when she was 7-8 years old, on the Samjhauta Express that runs between the two countries.
She was taken care of by the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
