KL Report
SRINAGAR
Giving a new hope to Sufaira, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday responded on the social website Twitter about the teen age orphan girl from district Budgam, who was denied passport on the basis that her uncle is a surrendered militant.
Kashmir Life published a story about Sufaira on August 3, titled ‘Wings to fly’ and the same was followed by the electronic media later compelling the chief minister Omar Abdullah to respond.
“Needless to say she will NOT be denied a passport because of her uncle’s past. All such pending cases of previous denials are being cleared,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site.
“I have asked CID to look in to the passport case of Sufaira. Will revert with the facts once I have them,” Omar added.
15 years old Sufaira Jan, who stays in an orphanage in Budgam, passed dozens of exams and cleared an interview in the US embassy in New Delhi in March. She finally bagged a one year US scholarship under the India-US youth exchange study programme, becoming an inspiration for the entire orphanage.
But reality hit hard when she applied for a passport in April, this year. The Jammu and Kashmir government rejected her request, based on the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)’s records on her uncle, a former militant who surrendered in 1995.
