NEW DELHI: When it comes to love across borders, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may not be playing cupid but she is definitely the saviour. Recently she took up the case of a Kazakh girl married to a Haryana lad and facing difficulties getting her visa extended.
Jahana from the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan and Teenu Jangra from Fatehabad fell in love on Facebook when the latter was in Saudi Arabia. The duo decided to get hitched and in June 2015 tied the knot in Teenu’s village. Jahana has been visiting him on a tourist visa that was due to expire on August 1.
After failing to get any help from official quarters, the two approached the media. The External Affairs Minister took cognisance of the news and asked Jahana to apply for a visa extension and assured her of help.
The former MP from Haryana, who was born in the Ambala cantonment, tweeted in chaste Haryanvi, “Thari bahu ne kaho visa badhan khatar arzi daal de, hum uski madad kar diyange (Ask your wife to apply for a visa extension, we will help her).”
The minister further added, “Jahana - If you want extension of visa pl contact me on phone 01123794344.” Jahana is a law graduate and has a translator’s diploma with proficiency in six languages, including English, French, Persian and Kazakh. After she failed to hear from Jahana, Sushma made efforts to reach her and get details of the matter herself.
After which Swaraj said, “I spoke to Jahana and her husband. She told me that at this moment she wants to go back to her country. Her husband reiterated this.”
For the time being Jahana will fly back to Kazakhastan with the hope that visa regulations for foreign spouses of Indian citizens would be eased a bit.