Sushma Swaraj interacts with traders at Lavender Bough, Ghatkopar on Friday. (Photo: Shripad Naik)
Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has assured Fouzia Ansari, the mother of engineer Nehal Hamid Ansari — who had gone missing in Pakistan more than three years ago, that the government has asked for consular access to her son and has demanded that the neighbouring country ensure his safety and security.
“We have asked for consular access for Mr Ansari from Pakistan and have told them to ensure his safety and security,” Ms Swaraj told reporters in Mumbai on Friday after meeting Ms Ansari.
“A military court trial is currently ongoing and hence we have not been able to talk to Mr Ansari. We are trying to get access to him so that we can get Ms Ansari to talk to her son,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ms Ansari, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of her meeting with Ms Swaraj, said that she was confident that her son would be brought back to the country after being proven innocent.
“I am thankful to Sushmaji for taking the effort of trying to bring my son back home. Until now, there wasn’t any news of him. At least now we know he is there. Sushmaji has assured me that my son would return home soon,” she said.
“Now that half the milestone has been achieved, I am sure he will be proven innocent and brought back soon. We are hoping all hurdles are cleared legally soon. We will be thankful to Indian and Pakistani governments,” she added.
Mr Ansari, then 27, left home on November 5, 2012, claiming he was headed to Afghanistan in search of a job. However, his family later came to know from officials and associates that he was in love with a woman from the Kohat region of western Pakistan and had decided to cross over to prevent her from marrying another man.
His parents later found out that he was facing a court-martial on unspecified charges.
