Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman recently made headlines after she crossed the border from Pakistan to India to marry her lover. The 30-year-old mother of four, previously a resident of Sindh province in Pakistan, entered India illegally in May to unite with her partner Sachin Meena, who lives in Greater Noida.
Seema’s love story with Sachin Meena started in 2019. They became friends while playing the online game PUBG and continued their conversations on WhatsApp. The couple eventually decided to get married.
In March 2023, they took a significant step in their relationship by deciding to tie the knot at the renowned Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal. Following the wedding ceremony, they spent a memorable week together at a hotel in the city, cherishing their first in-person meeting.
Their journey was filled with challenges and hardships. Seema, who is a mother of four children from her previous marriage to Ghulam Haider, faced tough decisions. She left her home country and took the risky route of crossing the border into India. To avoid detection by security agencies, she and her children had to disguise themselves as rural Indians during the journey.
After arriving in India, Seema began living with Sachin in Mohalla Ambedkar Nagar, Rabupura, Greater Noida from May 13. Their relationship attracted controversy, with certain individuals accusing Seema of being a spy of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. Seema is an illegal migrant as per the Indian law. She, Sachin, and Sachin’s father were arrested on July 4 under sections of the Passport Act and the Foreigners’ Act, which holds that if a person’s stay in India exceeds the period for which his/her visa was issued, they shall be punished with imprisonment for a period which may extend to five years. However, they were released on bail just three days later and are currently enjoying life in India.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) apprehended two brothers from Bulandshahr on suspicion of tampering with documents and Aadhar cards associated with Sachin Meena and Seema Haider.
Seema underwent questioning by the ATS regarding her relatives and the claims of her brother and uncle serving in the Pakistan Army. The ATS questioned her for her proficiency in English despite studying only up to Class 5.
Certain documents and mobile phones have been recovered from her but it remains unclear how these are related to her links in Pakistan. Seema has appealed to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to let her live in India as she fears she will be killed if she returns.
The Noida Police forwarded Seema Haider’s documents, including her passport, ID card, and her children’s passports, to the Pakistan embassy for verification to determine her Pakistani nationality.
On Friday, Haider submitted a petition to President Droupadi Murmu, and appealed that she and her four children be granted permission to reside in her “matrimonial home” located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
In a recent interview with a Hindi news portal, an unwell Haider was quoted as saying, “It also hurts why people are speaking wrong about me. No one has spoken well about me even once,” adding, “I don’t think that my four children and I will increase any burden on India. If I get citizenship, I will show myself as a good person. I won’t betray.”
The Seema Haider case is still fresh and another case of a married woman from Uttar Pradesh visiting her Pakistani lover she met on Facebook has come to light. Anju, 35, met 29-year-old Nasrullah around four years ago on the social networking site. As the authorities in Pakistan conduct their investigation, it’s worth noting that unlike Haider, who entered India unlawfully, Anju arrived in Pakistan through a valid visa. This visa permitted her to travel to Upper Dir Bala district to meet her partner Nasrullah.
