Lahore: An Indian Sikh woman who married a local Muslim man during a visit to Pakistan in November has been arrested and sent to a government-run shelter home in Lahore, a Punjab government source said on Wednesday.
Sarabjeet Kaur, 48, was among around 2,000 Sikh pilgrims who travelled from India to Pakistan via the Wagah border in November last year to participate in celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
While the pilgrims returned to India after a few days, Kaur went missing. A senior police officer in Lahore later said that she had married Nasir Hussain, a resident of Sheikhupura district, about 50 kilometres from Lahore, a day after arriving in Pakistan on November 4.
Subsequently, Kaur and Hussain filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, alleging that police had conducted an illegal raid at their residence in Farooqabad in Sheikhupura district and pressured them to annul their marriage.
Lahore High Court Justice Farooq Haider ordered the police to stop harassing the couple.
However, according to the Punjab government source, instead of complying with the court’s directions, the Punjab police apprehended the couple and sent Kaur to Darul Aman, a government-run shelter home in Lahore.
The source said authorities intend to deport Kaur, while her husband has been taken into police custody in connection with a case.
An earlier attempt to deport her failed due to the closure of the Wagah-Attari border, the source added.
In an earlier video message, Kaur said she had approached the Indian mission in Islamabad seeking an extension of her visa and had also applied for Pakistani nationality.
“I am a divorcee and wanted to marry Hussain; therefore, I came here for that purpose,” she said.
Before the nikah ceremony, Kaur was given a Muslim name, Noor. “I happily married Hussain,” she added.
Meanwhile, former Punjab Assembly member Mahinder Pal Singh filed a petition in the Lahore High Court alleging that Kaur could be an “Indian spy.” He claimed that her continued stay in Pakistan after the expiry of her visa was illegal and raised concerns related to Pakistan’s national security.
With PTI inputs