A 17-year-old Pakistani-origin Hindu girl in Jaipur is running from pillar to post to get permission to appear in the all-India medial entrance examination.
Mashal Maheshwari, who came to India around two years back with her family, including her two siblings, wants to be a doctor but her Pakistani citizenship issue has shattered her dream. Ms. Maheshwari scored 91 per cent in her Class 12 CBSE exam this year.
Speaking to ANI, she said that in the All India Pre-Medical Test submission form, there were only two categories — Indian or NRI. Since she belonged to neither, she was unable to fill it.
Still hopeful Ms. Maheshwari said that if she was not allowed to sit for the medical exam, she would have to take admission in a private university where the donation is Rs. 1.5-Rs.2 crore. “I can’t afford it. I also can’t afford to wait for a year for their notification as I have already repeated a year and according to the Indian system, I am lagging behind two years,” she added.
Ms. Maheshwari appealed to the government officials to intervene in the matter. “We had come from Pakistan two years ago in the hope of a better future. I wanted to study medicine and be a doctor. My parents are doctors and I also wanted to help the people. Which field can be better than this?” she said.
Although disheartened, Ms. Maheshwari hopes that the Indian government would do something for her.