Indian Sikh woman arrested in Pakistan
An Indian Sikh woman, who contracted marriage with a local Muslim during a visit to Pakistan in November, was arrested and sent to a Government-run shelter home in Lahore, a Punjab Government source said on Wednesday.
Sarabjeet Kaur, 48, was among 2,000 Sikh pilgrims who had entered Pakistan via Wagah border from India in November last year to attend the festivities related to the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. The pilgrims returned home after a few days, but Kaur went missing. A senior police officer in Lahore later said that Kaur contracted marriage with Nasir Hussain of Sheikhupura district, some 50 kms from Lahore, a day after she arrived in Pakistan on November 4.
Later, Kaur and Hussain filed a petition in the Lahore High Court complaining that the police had conducted an illegal raid at their house in Farooqabad, Sheikhupura, and pressured them to end the marriage. Lahore High Court Justice Farooq Haider ordered the police to stop harassing the couple.
"Instead of following the court order, the Punjab police apprehended the couple and sent Ms Kaur to Darul Aman (Government-run shelter home) in Lahore," the source in the Punjab Government said. He said the authorities want to deport Kaur while her husband is in police custody facing a case. "The authorities already made an attempt to deport Kaur but failed due to the closure of the Wagah-Attari border," he said.
Earlier, in a video clip, Kaur said she approached the embassy in Islamabad to extend her visa and also applied for Pakistani nationality. “I am a divorcee and wanted to marry Hussain; therefore, I came here for the purpose,” she said. Kaur was given a Muslim name, Noor, before the nikah ceremony. “I happily married Hussain," she added.
A former member of the Punjab Assembly, Mahinder Pal Singh, had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court alleging that it is likely that she is an "Indian spy." "Staying in Pakistan after the expiry of her visa is an illegal act as the matter is linked to Pakistan's national security," he said. Sarabjeet Kaur entered Pakistan via Wagah border to attend the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Sarabjeet Kaur.
