India has always been quick to blame Pakistan for cross-border terrorism with allegations that it airs terrorism in India but in Uttar Pradesh state, the administration was left red-faced when it learned that a Pakistani national woman, Bano Begum, had been serving as an interim village panchayat head in Jalesar block of Etah.
According to reports, Bano Begum, a resident of Karachi, Pakistan came to India 35 years ago to her relative’s home in Etah.
The Pakistani national got married in India to a man named Akhtar Ali and later became the head of the village.
Since then, she had been staying in Etah on a long-term visa and had applied for Indian citizenship several times.
During the local body elections back in 2015, Bano managed to get elected as a member of Guadau gram panchayat in India.
Five years later, on January 9, 2020, the Pradhan Shehnaz Begum passed away and after a few days, Bano took over as interim Pradhan on the recommendation of the village committee.
According to sources, the matter came to the fore after a villager, Quwaidan Khan, filed a complaint in which he identified that a woman from Pakistan had become the head of a village in India.
Though Bano resigned from the post, the District Panchayat Raj Officer (DPRO) Alok Priyadarshi raised the matter with Etah District Magistrate Sukhlal Bharti, who ordered to register a First Information Report (FIR) and a probe against Bano.
As stated in Times of India, Alok Priyadarshi said, “Investigation on the basis of a complaint received against Bano Begum found that she is a Pakistan national. She got an Aadhaar card and voter ID made on her name by fraudulent means”.
He said that the recommendation to appoint Bano as head of the village committee and designating her as interim Pradhan was made by village secretary Dhyanpal Singh who has been removed from the post too.
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District Magistrate Bharti said, “Orders have been issued to investigate how she managed to get an Aadhaar card and other documents for contesting election to become guadau gram panchayat member. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty of helping her.”