An elderly Pakistani woman, staying in a village in Bikaner on a long-term visa, has managed to get her name included in the country's voters' list, leaving officials red-faced.
Alabasai, married to a local, has been residing in KJD village in Khajuwala sub-division since 1986 but has not been granted Indian citizenship so far.
However, her name was included in the voters' list in 2008. When the police discovered her origin during a routine review, the district administration was alerted and her voter ID was cancelled in September.
"We received a letter from the home department in September mentioning that Alabasai has been issued a voter ID and her name exists in the voters' list. It is against rules as she is a Pakistani national," Sub-Divisional Officer Nisar Khan said.
On receiving the letter, the district administration issued a notice to the woman seeking her explanation.
"She said in her reply that she had applied for a voter ID as she was married here and has been staying in the village for years," said Khan.
"As she is not an Indian citizen, we ordered the cancellation of her voter ID on October 25, 2011 and informed senior authorities," he said.
Sources in the district administration said efforts were being made to identify more such cases, if any, in the district.
