Indian woman who married Pakistani Facebook friend to return home

In August, Pakistan extended Anju's visa by one year

Web Desk

Published: Wed 1 Nov 2023, 9:39 AM

A 34-year-old Indian woman, who travelled to a remote village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to marry her Facebook friend, will return to India after getting clearance from the Pakistan government, her husband said.

In August, Pakistan had extended by one year the visa of Anju, who was renamed Fatima following her conversion to Islam and marriage to Nasrullah.

"We are waiting for the NOC (No-Objection Certificate) from the interior ministry in Islamabad for which we have already applied. The NOC process is a bit lengthy and it takes time to complete," Anju’s Pakistani husband told PTI.

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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.

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.

The woman had also 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.

A “pre-wedding” video of Anju and Nasrullah also surfaced online in which the two are seen posing amidst the mountains of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. After the video, Anju’s father, Gaya Prasad, said that he has severed all ties with her.

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