Date:18/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/18/stories/2006021818540500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Towards thrashing out a knotty issue

J.S. Ifthekhar

National consultation to discuss contentious issue of marriages to overseas Indians

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is organising the meeting in Delhi today

Issue of Arabs marrying Hyderabad girls is also expected to figure at the meeting

Hyderabad: Marriage to an overseas Indian (OI) is considered a gateway to heaven. But, it is not so always. In many cases, it is nothing short of stepping into a living hell. The Centre appears to be serious about thrashing out a lasting solution to this contentious issue.

With an increasing number of marriages to OIs turning out to be a disaster for women, efforts are on to evolve a mechanism to check the rot. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is organising a national consultation in Delhi on Saturday to take stock of such marriages.

Officials from different States are taking part in the meeting, which is intended to discuss the sensitisation and publicity campaigns launched at the State level.

False information

Prabhakar D. Thomas, Principal Secretary, Women Development and Child Welfare, S.A. Huda, Special Officer, Wakf Board, and K. Lakshmi Reddy, Superintendent of Police, Women Protection Cell, will be representing Andhra Pradesh.

The Government is stated to have taken a serious note of women marrying overseas Indian coming to grief even before they go to the foreign country. Very often, they land up at the international airport only to learn that there is no sign of the better half. In many cases, the information furnished by the OIs on job, immigration status, earning, property, marital status also turns out to be false, it is said.

All these issues will be discussed threadbare at the national consultation being chaired by Krishna Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.

The issue of Arabs marrying Hyderabad girls is also expected to figure at the meeting. A few months ago, the Wakf Board held an open discussion with officials, ulemas and khazis on checking immoral things going on in the name of `nikah'. A number of suggestions were made, including performing marriage of foreign nationals only with prior approval of the board. But none of them have been implemented. The State officials will place these suggestions at the Delhi meeting. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has prepared a guidance booklet for those planning to marry off their daughters to OIs.