Ramzan Khan Ramzan Khan

Ramzan Khan, the Pakistani boy stranded in Bhopal, moved a step closer to a possible reunion with his Karachi-based mother Razia Begum Friday, as an official from the Pakistan High Commission paid him a visit.

First Secretary (Visa) Khadim Hussain met the teenager at a shelter home in Bhopal, where he has spent more than two years since the police handed him over to NGO Childline.

Hussain spent nearly 45 minutes with Ramzan to verify his story, which began with his father taking him to Bangladesh six years ago.

Childline director Archana Sahay told The Sunday Express that the Pakistani official appeared satisfied with the replies given by Ramzan, who kept saying he wanted to be reunited with his mother as soon as possible.

Hussain, who was accompanied by an official of India’s External Affairs Ministry, did not tell the Childline authorities what his government plans to do next.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had met Ramzan in Bhopal on November 22 and had said that the Indian government was ready to go the extra mile to reunite Ramzan with his mother. She had also said that Ramzan’s return depends on whether Pakistan is willing to accept him.

Ramzan’s mother had recently said that she was scared to visit Bhopal because the atmosphere in India was not friendly to Muslims. The boy has, however, maintained that he faced no discrimination in the country.

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