The Hindu : The waiting continues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 07, 2003

National

National

The waiting continues

By Our Staff Reporter

Jammu Dec. 6. The improved diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan has made no difference to a Pakistan-occupied Kashmir woman and her six-year-old daughter who live in India.

Shehnaz alias Sayeda has became a symbol of hostilities between the two countries.

A resident of Haryan Da Bagh village in Sumani Mirpur tehsil, in PoK, she was arrested on October 6, 1995 on Indian soil near the Line of Control. She had jumped into a river after a quarrel with her family and was saved by villagers on the Indian side. She was convicted on November 15, 1995 to undergo one-year imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 500. In default, she was asked to undergo a further sentence of three months and was lodged in the Poonch district jail, where a warden raped her. She gave birth to a girl on October 6, 1997, following which she was shifted to the Central Jail on January 28, 1996.

She continued to be behind bars since Pakistan did not accept her along with child Mobin, as the latter was born in India. Acting on a public interest litigation, the court directed the State to pay Rs. 3 lakhs as compensation to be deposited in the name of the child and sought their release. The State was also directed to arrange for their accommodation.

Forced to fend for herself, she lives in a dingy room with none to share her sorrows. She has visited the Pakistan embassy seeking deportation. Recently she could contact her family members on phone.

Shehnaz says, "I do not know where I belong. Please end this uncertainty of my life. Allah, mein ki guna kita hai (God, what crime have I done)."

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