'Seema Haider should be shown empathy as she's India's daughter-in-law'

NEW DELHI: Seema Haider, who could be deported to Pakistan following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, deserves sympathy as she is now India's daughter-in-law, her lawyer has said. Seema had entered India illegally through Nepal in 2023 with her four children to marry an Indian man, despite already being married in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Her case has come under renewed attention after the Centre directed all Pakistani nationals to leave India by the end of the month in response to the attack.

"Seema converted to Hinduism while in Pakistan and got married to an Indian as per Hindu rituals in Nepal as well as India. So, she is now the daughter-in-law of India, and people should show some empathy," said her lawyer, A P Singh.

"Some people are targeting Seema over the Pahalgam terror attack, which is a sad incident, but it is totally wrong. Her case should be treated on humanitarian grounds," he added.

Singh stated that Seema had divorced her husband in Pakistan and moved back to her father’s home. After her father passed away, she met Sachin Meena, and their friendship grew. She later converted to Hinduism while still in Pakistan.

"Thereafter, Seema came to Nepal, where she married Sachin. After that, she converted legally in India. The couple has a baby girl and named her Bharti, which means Meera. The Uttar Pradesh government has issued a birth certificate to the girl," he added.

On April 26, Seema made a public plea to the authorities, requesting permission to remain in India.

In a video, she is heard saying, "I was Pakistan's daughter, but now I'm India's daughter-in-law. I do not want to go to Pakistan. I appeal to PM (Narendra) Modi and UP CM Yogi (Adityanath) to let me stay in India."

Following the Pahalgam attack, a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced several countermeasures on Wednesday, including halting visa services for Pakistani nationals.

Seema had left her Karachi home in May 2023 to enter India and was later discovered living with Meena in Rabupura, in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddha Nagar district, in July. The two had reportedly met while playing online games in 2019.

They currently reside in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.



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