How Pak Woman’s Neighbours React To Her Decision To Marry An Indian

International

oi-Prakash KL

While people in India have expressed no problems in welcoming their ‘bahu’ (daughter-in-law) from Pakistan, the response is completely different in Pakistan over Seema Haider, a married woman and a mother of four, leaving her country and marrying a Noida man.

For unversed, Seema Haider ditched her country after falling in love with Hindu man Sachin Meena. They met on PUBG during the Covid pandemic and gradually fell in love. In March, they secretly married in Nepal. Two months later, she left her country with her four children and illegally came to India via Nepal to be with her man Sachin.

Her neighbours and a relative made it clear that they do not want her back in Pakistan, according to a report in PTI.

“She should just send her children back to Pakistan. She can stay there. Now she is no longer even a Muslim,” the news agency quoted the 16-year-old son of the landlord in whose rented home Seema stayed with her children for the last three years.

Located in the heart of Gulistan-e-Jauhar, her residence lies in the Bhittaiabad neighborhood in the Katchi Abadi area. However, there is not much to highlight about her home. It consists of a three-room section within a building that lacks any paint, and it is situated in a narrow lane that is unfortunately filled with garbage and overflowing sewage, the report adds.

The landlord’s also clarified that her husband brought a 1.2 million house. “No, she was a tenant with us for three years with her children. She lived alone with her children. Her father-in-law lives some distance away from here,” Nur Muhammad, the landlord’s son, explained.

Interestingly, she had married Ghulam Haidar after eloping from her house, 10 years ago in Karachi. They had tied the knot against her parents’ wishes.

“We saw her call a taxi and leave one day with her children and some bags and we thought she was going to her village in Jacobabad. But after nearly a month, when we heard about her escapade on TV channels, we were all shocked,” adds Jamal Jakhrani, an elderly man, who was her neighbour.

Jamal, who belongs to the same tribe that Seema and Ghulam Haider belong to, said that it is best Seema settle in India now. “If ever she thinks of coming back, she will not be forgiven by the tribe and secondly, her decision to stay with a Hindu has angered everyone now,” Jamal said.

Mian Mithoo, a high-profile religious leader in rural Sindh, known for using his seminary to convert Hindu girls to Islam and even bandits, has openly threatened to punish Seema if she returns. In addition, his followers have made threats to target Hindu places of worship in Seema’s village. However, SSP Kashmore-Kandhkot, Irfan Samoo, has provided reassurance to the Hindu and Sikh communities, promising them protection.

Samoo, on the other hand, is perplexed by the entire case and has discovered discrepancies in Seema’s documents and narrative.

“Her national identity card says she was born in 2002. So, she should be 21 years of age now and yet she has four children all up to the age of 6 years,” he said. “The husband also keeps changing his stories to the police. First, he said he bought the house. Now he says he paid one million rupees to Seema’s family to settle a tribal decision when they first fled to Karachi,” he said.

“One thing is clear, Seema was frustrated with her husband’s absence and being forced to take care of four children by herself as she had no support even from her in-laws,” he added.

Malik, the owner of a mobile shop, recollects that when Seema first moved into the neighborhood a year ago, she would often visit his shop to recharge her balance.

“She always wore a chaddar over her head and had half of her face covered and also didn’t talk much, so that is what surprised me when I learnt about her decision,” Malik said.

Maulvi Samiuddin, a prayer leader in the neighbourhood mosque, said, “Husbands should never leave their wives alone for years and parents need to constantly keep a watch on their daughters and sisters or we will have more such incidents in future as well, because most people, especially women, are not educated enough in such poor neighbourhoods to understand the consequences of their actions,”

“She has brought shame to Muslims and Pakistan. She will sooner or later face punishment for her actions,” he said.

Meanwhile, she has embraced Hinduism and does not want to go back to Pakistan.