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Pakistani Cancer Patient Denied Medical Visa To India

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Tara Khandelwal
New Update

Faiza Tanveer, a Pakistani citizen, is awaiting a visa to visit India to get treated for cancer. The girl was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2012, the same year her brother passed away in an accident. Since 2014, she has gone through 18 surgeries. Faiza says that the Pakistan doctors had given up hope. On research, she found several other treatments in countries abroad. However, the cost of these treatments is higher than she can afford.

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Then she found that she can afford treatments available in India. She needed $12,000 for treatment at a hospital in Ghaziabad, and raised the amount through a fundraiser at her university. She then applied for a 20-day medical visa to India. But she was denied the visa by officials who cited the deteriorating relations between the two countries as the reason.

The doctor, who was going to treat her, told HuffPost India that Faiza has paid the advance, and that they had decided on the course of treatment. The hospital has now refunded the money back to her.

Faiza has even appealed to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj through Twitter, and though Swaraj did not reply directly, she said that she will “assure Pakistan nationals seeking medical visa with a recommendation from Mr Sartaj Aziz, we will issue the visa immediately".

Aziz is a member of Pakistan’s federal cabinet and makes key decisions on foreign affairs. Swaraj tweeted that she has not received any letters from Aziz, and that he must, at least, be concerned about the country’s own citizens. She also added that she is awaiting a letter for Avantika Jadhav who wants to meet her son who is on death row in Pakistan.

“I have my sympathies for all Pakistan nationals seeking medical visa for their treatment in India,” she tweeted.

We pray that Faiza gets her visa soon.

Also Read: Reporting Pakistan With Meena Menon: Experiencing Bomb Blasts To Basics

Picture Credit: Asian Age

Denied Medical Visa to India Pakistani Cancer Patient
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