India to grant medical visas to two Pakistanis, says Sushma

One of them is an ailing man and the other is a girl of 3.

A file picture of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said India will grant medical visas to an ailing Pakistani man requiring liver transplant and a three-year-old girl from the neighbouring country who needs an open-heart surgery.

Heeding to a request by Uzair Humayun, a Lahore-based man, Ms. Swaraj has said medical visa will be given to his daughter for an open-heart surgery in India.

“We are issuing visa for the open heart surgery of your three-year-old daughter in India. We also pray for her speedy recovery here,” Ms. Swaraj said in a tweet.

The Minister also responded positively when Noorma Habib asked for her intervention in granting medical visa to her father who, she said, needed an urgent liver transplant.

“Yes, Noorma. We are allowing visa for the liver transplant of your father in India. We wish him a successful surgery and a long life,” Ms. Swaraj tweeted.

Warmth despite tension

Ms. Swaraj has been sympathetically considering medical visa applications from scores of Pakistani nationals notwithstanding strain in the relationship between the two countries over a host of issues.