NEW DELHI: Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj promised on Monday to help a Pakistani Hindu girl seeking admission to a medical college in India.

Ms Swaraj told Mashal Maheshwari, the girl living in India, to contact her regarding the issues she was facing due to her Pakistani origin while striving to secure admission in the college.

“Mashal — I am watching you on CNN News. Please contact me on Telephone: 011-23794344. I am waiting for your call,” the minister tweeted.

On Sunday, Ms Swaraj had assured the aspiring doctor that she would personally take up the case for her admission.

“Mashal — Don’t be disappointed my child. I will personally take up your case for admission in a Medical College,” she had tweeted.

On May 27, India’s CNN News18 highlighted the issue of the girl whose family has been living as refugees in Jaipur since 2014 ‘after her father was attacked thrice in Pakistan’.

The report said that Mashal was now facing issues appearing for the Pre-Medical Test necessary for a medical college admission, despite scoring 91 per cent marks in her class 12th board exams.

The girl’s parents had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and save her future and had also written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to step in.

“I have always wanted to be a doctor like my parents but I cannot under these circumstances. There are two categories, Indian citizens or NRIs, and as foreigners we would have to pay a huge fee which my parents cannot afford since we came from Pakistan in an emergency and left everything behind,” Mashal told CNN News18.

After Ms Swaraj’s intervention, Mashal’s mother told the media house that she was happy that the minister had assured all kind of help to her daughter.

Mashal too thanked the minister and Mr Modi, urging them to do something ‘within the time limit’ of the admission process.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2016