India-Pakistan cross-border wedding: Woman marries man virtually after she fails to get visa

Cross-border relationships between India and Pakistan have been the talk of the town since Pakistani national Seema Haider sneaked into India to marry Sachin Meena, and Indian citizen Anju travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be with Nasrullah.

Now, another Pakistani woman is in the news for virtually marrying a man from Jodhpur (Rajasthan) after failing to obtain an Indian visa. Karachi-based Ameena decided not to delay the wedding proceedings with her Indian fiancé Arbaaz Khan and completed the rituals virtually.

According to Indian reports, the ceremony was officiated by a Jodhpur qazi (magistrate). Arbaaz, along with his family members, reached Jodhpur's Oswal Samaj Bhawan, where the wedding was performed virtually. The groom's father, Mohammad Afzal, a contractor by profession, said the marriage was held in a simple way with fewer expenses.

Hindustan Times quoted Arbaaz saying: "Ameena will apply for visa. I didn't marry in Pakistan as it would not be recognised and we would have to remarry on reaching India. A bride for Pakistan does not get an Indian visa to get married. Hence, we got married online and obtained a certificate from the cleric, which is legal."

Seema Haider case

Probe agencies in India and Pakistan are separately looking into the antecedents of Seema Haider, a 30-year-old Pakistani woman who illegally entered India with her four children to be with a man she met online.

In India, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Uttar Pradesh — the northern state where Seema is staying with her lover — has interrogated the woman to find out how she crossed the borders, according to local media. The reports said Seema had relatives in the Pakistan army.

Officials also questioned Sachin Meena — the 22-year-old unmarried shopkeeping assistant who fell in love with Seema while playing an online shooting game — and his father, according to the Indian media. In Pakistan too, authorities have prepared a preliminary report on the mother of four, according to Geo News.

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