Indian woman who married Facebook friend in Pakistan gets visa extension

Anju, the Indian woman who travelled to Pakistan in July and allegedly married a man she met on Facebook, has been granted a visa extension by Pakistani authorities, according to media reports.

Anju, 34, who shares two children with her Indian husband, Arvind Kumar, crossed over to Pakistan legally on July 21. She travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Upper Dir district and reportedly tied the knot with 29-year-old science graduate Nasrullah in a local court.

Pakistani police said that Anju had arrived on a one-month visa to meet Nasrullah and was staying at his house. On Tuesday, Pakistani authorities extended Anju’s visa for a year, Nasrullah said in a statement, according to Geo News. He added that they provided all the required documents to Pakistan’s interior ministry and that all the departments and authorities were cooperating with them.

Pakistan’s ARY news Anju was initially issued a one-month visa which was due to expire on August 20. She was then granted a two-month visa earlier this month.

Anju, who hails from the western Indian state of Rajasthan, and Nasrullah’s cross-border love story made headlines in both India and Pakistan. Anju’s husband, Arvind Kumar, claimed that she travelled to Pakistan on the pretext of meeting one of her friends in Jaipur, reported ANI.

“I got a voice call last night; she said that [she was] in Lahore. I have no idea why she went to Lahore and how she got the visa and other stuff. She informed me that she will return within two to three days,” Kumar told the news agency.

Later, Anju released a video stating that she was feeling safe in Pakistan and had planned her journey to the country. “I want to give this message to all that I have come here [Pakistan] legally and with planning as it was not about two days that I came here all of a sudden, and I am safe here,” Anju was quoted as saying in the video.

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