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Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad
Tasleem, the Pakistani wife of Mohammed Jaweed Azmath, initially detained in the United States in connection with the September 11 attacks, has filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh high court against her proposed deportation by the Indian authorities.
Azmath and his friend Ayub Ali Khan were detained in the US a day after the September 11 terror attacks last year. Both of them were later cleared of any links with the attacks, but were instead charged with credit card fraud.
Speaking to rediff.com on Friday, Tasleem said, "On July 12, I got a communication from the government rejecting my application for visa extension. I filed a petition against the government orders on Monday (July 15). The court held a hearing on the admissibility of the petition on Thursday. The matter has been posted for next hearing on July 22."
A Pakistani national, Tasleem came to Hyderabad in March last year with a 90-day visa, after she married her cousin Mohammed Azmath Jaweed.
Soon after marriage, Azmath went back to the US, while Tasleem stayed back in Hyderabad.
Seven months ago, Tasleem gave birth to a baby boy, who acquires Indian citizenship by virtue of being born in India to an Indian father.
When Tasleem applied for a two-year extension of her stay in India in April this year, the Government of India rejected her plea stating the US police caught her husband, along with a friend, under 'suspicious circumstances'.
"I was literally shattered after I got the letter from the state government rejecting my plea for extension of visa and asking the city police to ensure that I am deported back to Pakistan. I have applied for Indian citizenship to the authorities concerned and my application is still pending," Tasleem said.
"Under these circumstances, where can I go now? Where can I take my child to? Azmath is still in the US, awaiting his deportation to India. I cannot leave the child behind. I feed the baby. Who will take care of my son? My father-in-law is old and ailing. My younger brother-in-law looks after the family business. My mother-in-law passed away years ago. Now, if I am deported to Pakistan, how will the Pakistani authorities allow a child who is an India? I am terribly afraid by all this," she said.
"We are awaiting Azmath's return from the United States. For 10 months, he has been under detention at Brooklyn in New York. Ayub's family got a telephone call last night, stating that the last hearing in the credit card case has been fixed for August 15 after which both Azmath and Ayub are expected to be deported back to India by the US immigration authorities," Tasleem said.
She said that the Indian authorities told her that for the extension of her visa, she needed to apply along with her husband.
Since he was away in the US, she could not fulfil that condition and hence her request was turned down.
"The authorities are also asking us for proof that Azmath is not an accused in the September 11 attacks. Where can we get that proof? The Indian embassy can help us out in getting the required information from the US authorities," she said.
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