J&K Student With ‘Indian Occupied Kashmir’ In Bio Tweets To Swaraj For Help, ‘No Place Like That’ She Tells Him

A Kashmir student in the Philippines, who reached out to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with a request on Twitter, got a lesson in political geography from the minister and twitterati on Thursday.

The student, who identifies himself as Sheikh Ateek on the micro-blogging site, had asked Swaraj for help with his passport, which he said has got damaged and is required for his return journey to “home, India”. He had, however, mentioned in his profile biography that he belongs to ‘Indian Occupied Kashmir’.

Swaraj, who responds to all calls for help, replied to the student’s tweet, saying she would help if he belongs to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

“If you are from J&K state, we will definitely help you. But your profile says you are from 'Indian occupied Kashmir'. There is no place like that,” Swaraj said.

The student, who had said that his health was deteriorating, removed the incorrect description of the place he belongs to soon after Swaraj responded to his tweet.

In another tweet minutes later, Swaraj acknowledged that the student had removed the incorrect description and asked the Indian Embassy in Manila to help him.

“I am happy you have corrected the profile. Jaideep - He is an Indian national from J&K. Pls help him,” the minister said in her tweet.

Swaraj’s Twitter diplomacy has received appreciation from all quarters. To aid her efforts, the Ministry of External Affairs has launched a handle called Twitter Seva. The handle collates all the tweets Indians in distress addressed to the ministry.