Rajasthan advocate virtually marries Pak woman after she fails to get visa

Against the backdrop of two weddings that ignited controversies in India and Pakistan, a cross-border couple tied the knot recently online – without any fuss and with the blessings of both their families.

Advocate Mohammad Arbaz from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur tied nuptial knots with Ameena from Pakistan’s Karachi last week through a virtual mode as two giant screens were set up and Quazis from both sides administered the cross-country marriage.

“The match had been fixed a few months back with the help of our relatives on both sides. The bride's side had applied for a visa but it was getting delayed. So, we decided to solemnise the marriage through an online mode,” said Mohammad Afzal, the groom’s father.

Arbaz, a resident of Jodhpur's walled city area of Kharadiyon ka Mohalla, said such weddings are not new to the neighbouring countries as marriages have happened through virtual mediums in the past as well.

“Even during the Covid pandemic, such weddings had taken place despite the strained relations between the two countries,” Arbaz said.

“We will now wait for the bride and her family members to get the visa and come to Jodhpur. A small function will be organised then,” he said.

Early this year, Muzammil Khan from Jodhpur married Pakistan’s Uruz Fatima through online mode.

This wedding was also solemnised virtually due to the non-availability of a visa for the bride. She finally united with her husband in Jodhpur in May after she succeeded in getting a visa.

Muzammil’s grandfather Bhale Khan said this trend is not new here and the marriages between the citizens of the two countries have been thriving due to relations of the people on both sides and their periodic visits to and fro.

Seema Haider (30), who hails from Sindh province in Pakistan, had illegally entered India along with her four children on a bus via Nepal on May 13 to live with her Indian lover Sachin Meena (22) who stays in Rabupura area of Greater Noida.

On July 4, Seema was arrested by local police for illegally entering India and Sachin was held for sheltering illegal immigrants.

However, they both were granted bail by a local court on July 7 and the couple has been living together along with Seema’s four children in Rabupura.

Recently, a 34-year-old married Indian woman, Anju, had travelled to Upper Dir district in the tribal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan on a valid visa to marry Nasrulla (24).

The two became friends on the social networking site in 2019.

Anju’s husband has filed an FIR against the couple in Rajasthan's Alwar district, police said on Sunday.

The case was registered at the Phoolbagh police station under the Indian Penal Code sections 366 (inducing women for marriage), 494 (second marriage without divorce), 500 (defamation) and 506 (criminal Intimidation), besides provisions of the IT Act, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bhiwadi, Sujit Shankar said.