Exile's BitterDraught In A New Home

The ministry of external affairs has refused to extend her visa on the ground that her husband is not in the country. Now, Tasleem is fighting a legal battle to stay on with her seven-month-old son who, by virtue of having been born here and to an Indian father, is an Indian citizen.

Azmat (who is also Murad’s cousin), together with fellow Hyderabadi Ayub Ali, was among the hundreds of suspects rounded up after the World Trade Center, New York, came down in flames. Both of them were subsequently cleared of all charges but they continue to be in prison, awaiting deportation. The two were found to be living illegally in the US and Azmat also faces charges of a credit card fraud.

Tasleem, meanwhile, has filed a writ petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court appealing against her deportation orders on the ground that she is now the mother of an Indian citizen. She expects a favourable verdict, enabling her to stay on in a country that’s become her real home.