JOIN USAn Indian woman, who claimed that she was forced to marry a Pakistani man at gunpoint earlier this month, returned home on Thursday, following intervention by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Uzma Ahmed’s return was possible after the Islamabad High Court ordered the Pakistani administration to facilitate her travel to India. The court also asked the police to accompany her up to the Wagah border.
After crossing over, Uzma expressed relief by touching Indian soil. She was later received at the ministry of external affairs in the national capital.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj thanked the Pakistani administration and judiciary for supporting Uzma in her legal battle.
“I must thank the foreign and interior ministries of Pakistan, besides barrister Shahnawaz Noon, who fought her case like a father,” Sushma said.
The minister also thanked Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani for considering the case on a humanitarian grounds without resorting to politics.
Uzma broke down as she narrated her plight to the media. “Pakistan is a well of death. It’s easy to go there, but difficult to return. I am happy to breath in India. I am an orphan... For the first time, I realise that my life is valuable,” Uzma said holding back tears.
In her twenties, Uzma, who has a daughter from her earlier marriage, had travelled to Pakistan earlier this month on a vacation. Tahir Ali, a Pakistani national, who reportedly met her in Malaysia and fell in love with her, sponsored her visit.
Uzma said Ali forced her into marrying him on May 3 at a village in Buner district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. But after the marriage, she was harassed, intimidated and tortured.
“It was a strange village, which was once ruled by the Taliban. Everyone has multiple wives and guns at home. It was very difficult to come out of that place,” she said.