Hamid by Hamid Ansari & Geeta Mohan

Author:Hamid Ansari & Geeta Mohan [Ansari, Hamid & Mohan, Geeta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789353059736
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2020-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

18

Hamid Found, Zeenat Goes Missing

The beginning of 2014 was particularly difficult for the Ansari family in Mumbai. On the work front, both Nehal and Fauzia were facing problems, and the financial constraints and innumerable travels to Delhi were taking a toll.

Their biggest challenge was proving that Hamid was in Pakistan. India’s note verbales got no response, and Pakistan continuously denied his presence in the country.

Meanwhile, Zeenat had already written letters to the chief justice of Pakistan and the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s human rights cell, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CoIoED). She travelled to Islamabad to ensure that the case was heard. Javed Iqbal was then the CoIoED chief (in 2019, he was appointed the National Accountability Bureau Chief). He looked into the case and ordered an inquiry under a JIT (joint investigation team).

In May 2014, the Indian government at the centre changed. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power with a thumping majority. BJP veteran Sushma Swaraj was appointed the external affairs minister. Fauzia went to her husband and said, ‘Sushma Swaraj is the new minister. Let’s go to Delhi and plead our case with her. She is a woman. She will understand my problem. Please book us on a train to Delhi.’

Nehal agreed that they should take the case and raise it with the new government. Fauzia was in awe of Sushma Swaraj. She thought of her as an inspiration. They sought an appointment with her and waited for a response.

By this time, Fauzia had become familiar with operating Facebook. She made friends on the social media platform to see if anyone could be of help. One day, while she was going through her Facebook page, she learnt that there was a connect between the people of Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, even if limited. She thought of travelling to Srinagar to see if there was any way of getting a contact who could help find her son.

She knew there would be resistance from Nehal. They didn’t have the resources to shoot in the dark. But she was determined.

At dinner that night, she broached the topic with him and Khalid. They looked at each other, and then Nehal approached an on-the-edge Fauzia very carefully, ‘What will we get by travelling to Srinagar, Fauzia? We don’t know anyone there and it will just cost us a lot. Have you established any clear contacts yet?’

Fauzia had tears in her eyes. ‘Do you know how long it has been? I don’t even know if my son is alive. What do you expect me to do? Just sit and do nothing?’

Khalid saw the situation going out of control and intervened, ‘Ammi, you know what Abbu is talking about. You should go anywhere there is a possibility to establish contact or know about Hamid, but just picking up your bags and going to Srinagar makes no sense.’

Fauzia was adamant. She told Nehal that she would spend whatever she had to, go to any place in the world where she could get even a scrap of information about her son.

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