Sushma Swaraj helps save couple’s Europe honeymoon

A tweet to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj saved a newly wed couple’s honeymoon! After his wife Sana Fatima Khan lost her passport two days before their departure, lifestyle photographer Faizan Patel had lost all hope that she would be able to join him for their trip to Europe.

Embarking on the trip alone, he tweeted to Ms. Swaraj on Saturday a selfie inside the plane with his wife’s photo in the empty seat.

His tweet read: “This is how I am travelling with my wife as of now”, and was marked to @MEAIndia and @MEAQuery.

The photo and the tweet caught the attention of the Minister and she responded quickly, assuring him that a duplicate passport would be issued soon.

Ms. Swaraj replied to Mr. Patel: “Ask your wife to contact me. I will ensure that she is with you on the next seat.” A few hours later, she followed with another tweet, “My office has reached you already. You will get a duplicate Passport tomorrow.”

She later ensured that due process was initiated to get Ms. Khan a duplicate passport, a process which was completed on Tuesday.

The couple are now waiting for early completion of the process of obtaining a visa, and hope to start off their honeymoon from Venice.

Mr. Patel (30), who hails from Valencia in Mangaluru, is settled in New Delhi. He married Sana Fatima Khan from Delhi on December 15, 2015. These two, along with two other couples, had planned for a honeymoon in Europe.

According to his Facebook and Twitter posts, Mr. Patel’s wife lost her passport two days before their trip. Mr. Patel had to travel alone in the Turkish Airlines flight on August 6 from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.

Lauding the quick response of Ms. Swaraj, Mr. Patel tweeted to her “I am glad we have you. You’re a beacon of hope”.

In another tweet on Tuesday morning, Mr. Patel said “My wife Sana has received her passport. However she is not able to get an appointment at the VFS Delhi office”. The appointment will be on Thursday, he stated.

Mr. Patel did his BBA from St. Aloysius College in Mangaluru and then pursued his master’s degree in communication in Manipal Institute of Communication in 2011. Ms. Khan was also a student in Manipal Institute of Communication.

Lauding the quick response of Ms. Swaraj, Mr. Patel tweeted to her “I am glad we have you. You’re a beacon of hope”.

In another tweet on Tuesday morning, Mr. Patel said “My wife Sana has received her passport. However she is not able to get an appointment at the VFS Delhi office.” The appointment will be on Thursday, he stated.

Mr. Patel did his BBA from St. Aloysius College in Mangaluru and then pursued his master’s degree in communication in Manipal Institute of Communication in 2011. Ms. Patel was also a student at the Manipal Institute of Communication.