The couple desperately wants to travel back to India to get their 8-year-old son - who suffers from cerebral palsy - stem cell treatment.
Indian dad in Dubai pleads to Sushma Swaraj for visa help
Published: Mon 7 Nov 2016, 4:15 PM
Updated: Tue 8 Nov 2016, 8:15 AM
An Indian father in Dubai has taken to Twitter to seek the help of India's Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj.
But despite Swaraj publicly responding to the tweet, the Indian Consulate in Dubai is yet to offer a solution to the Dubai resident's visa dilemma.
Yasin Sharif has been waiting more than 60 days for a medical attendance visa for his Pakistani wife, Sharifa.
The couple desperately wants to travel back to India to get their 8-year-old son - who suffers from cerebral palsy - stem cell treatment that is not yet available in the UAE.
But Sharif, who was born in Dubai, said he is desperately struggling with the process.
He first applied for his wife's visa on September 8 and was advised that the process would take "between 30 to 40 days".
However, he has waited nearly double that time so far.
"We have had two turn down two medical appointments at the Neurogen Brain & Spine Institute in Mumbai and such appointments are hard to come by," Sharif told Khaleej Times on Monday.
"If I could stay in Dubai to get it done, I would, but this is a new treatment that we want to try for the sake of my son," he said.
Sharif says he's received a standard response from the Indian Consulate in Dubai, and every time he calls to query what the delay is, he gets the same response.
"They just keep telling me it's pending. My wife has traveled to India at least seven times before, and even after submitting a sponsorship letter from the Indian government (as per new visa requirements), the process has proven laborious."
Frustrated by the lack of communication from the Dubai mission, Sharif took to Twitter on November 4 and directly tweeted Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs of India.
Using his handle, @Yasin595, he wrote: "@SushmaSwaraj I am struggling to get medical attendance visa for my wife who is Pakistani, to get treatment for my child in Mumbai."
And the call for help was not in vain.
Within a few hours, Swaraj responded asking for more details of the case, and at 5.27pm on November 5 she tweeted: "@Yasin595 I am asking our mission in Dubai to help your wife who is a Pakistani national with Indian visa for your son's treatment in Mumbai."
Sharif said he just needs a 10-day visa for his wife so his son can undergo treatment.
"I am not asking for anymore than that. I cannot be there to support him so my wife has to be there. This could be a life changing treatment for him."
Although Sharif has not yet heard from the Indian consulate in Dubai, he is hopeful Swaraj's intervention will result in a quick solution to the problem.
Khaleej Times contacted the Indian Consulate in Dubai on Monday and it said it would send a statement on the issue on Tuesday.
Kelly@khaleejtimes
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