Seema-Sachin, Anju-Nasrullah: Cross-Border Love Stories That Kept India, Pakistan Hooked In 2023
In 2023, a new chapter was added to the long history of India-Pakistan relations, a chapter of Internet-driven cross-border love stories that kept making news headlines.
Year Ender 2023: India and Pakistan have over the years engaged in wars, diplomatic battles, sometimes dialogues, and for the longest time on the cricket field. Any engagement between the two neighbours has always grabbed eyeballs and made headlines. But the year 2023 added a new chapter to this long history of India-Pakistan relations — two cross-border love stories that kept everyone hooked.
While one story had a bride from Pakistan, Seema, arriving in India with her children to live with her Indian husband, Sachin, in Delhi-NCR, the other story had an Indian woman, Anju, crossing the border to be with her Pakistani beau, Nasrullah, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
While India-Pakistan marriages are not unprecedented, what makes these two stories different is the fact that they involve inter-religion couples who met on the Internet and sought to be with each other after defying all societal and family norms. Both the women were already married, and they left their husbands to start a new life in a different country.
The Seema-Sachin Love Story
It all began in May 2023 when 34-year-old Seema Ghulam Haider entered illegally into India with her four children via the Nepal border to marry Sachin Meena, a resident of Greater Noida whom she met in 2019 through mobile game PUBG. The cross-border couple is now happily living together at Sachin’s home in Greater Noida. Ever since Seema arrived in India, the couple has been grabbing headlines and they are quite active on social media.
The cross-border couple is now happily living together at Sachin’s home in Greater Noida.
Ever since Seema arrived in India, the couple has been grabbing headlines and they are quite active on social media.
Seema has gained immense popularity in India, and was even offered a role in a movie, it was reported. Director Amit Jani is said to have roped in Seema to do a film that will be based on her love story with Sachin, and it's named 'Karachi to Noida'.
Earlier, Jani Firefox Production House posted a video of people auditioning for the film. Director Amit Jani also said that he was receiving threats for making a film about her. He said he also met Haider (??? WHO IS THIS), and she said after getting clearance from the UP ATS, she would work in the movie.
सीमा हैदर और सचिन की प्रेम कथा पे बनने जा रही "कराची टू नोएडा" के लिए आज जानी फ़ायर फॉक्स प्रोडक्शन ने ऑडिशन का वीडियो जारी किया। सीमा हैदर के रोल के लिए देश भर से ऑडिशन शुरू हुआ। pic.twitter.com/6BnmwBj6Eu
— SANJAY TRIPATHI (@sanjayjourno) August 9, 2023
Anju-Nasrullah Love Story
In July, a similar love story unfolded when an Indian woman, Anju Thomas, travelled to Pakistan and converted to Islam. Anju, a mother of two, changed her name to Fatima and married her lover Nasrullah in a remote village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. She had met Nasrullah on the social media platform, Facebook.
Anju was reportedly showered with gifts after the nikah ceremony.
Born in Uttar Pradesh’s Kailor village, Anju lived in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. According to reports, she travelled to Pakistan legally from India via the Wagah-Attari border. She had been granted a 30-day visa, valid for the Upper Dir district only, which lies in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In India, Anju was married to Arvind in Rajasthan. The couple has a 15-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Arvind filed an FIR against Anju and Nasrullah in the Alwar district of Rajasthan.
Arvind was quoted as saying in media reports that they had not yet divorced, and hence she could not marry any man anywhere.
"Anju has said she submitted divorce papers in Delhi three years ago, but I have not received any summons or notice from the court yet. On paper, she is still my wife. She cannot marry anyone else. The government should get the matter investigated," Arvind told reporters in Alwar.
Anju returned to India last month. The 35-year-old was dropped off at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab’s Amritsar by Nasrullah.
After being questioned by security agencies, she was escorted to the Amritsar airport from where she was to fly to Delhi. In a video shared by news agency ANI, Anju can been seen confidently walking and responding to a reporter's query: "I am content... I have no further comments."
Javeria-Sameer Love Story
In December, just as no more such stories seemed possible, another love story unfolded. Javeria Khanum, a Pakistani woman, came to India to marry her fiance Sameer Khan in West Bengal’s capital city, Kolkata.
Javeria crossed into India via the Attari-Wagah border, where her fiance welcomed her to the beats of ‘dhol’. Khanum had been granted a 45-day visa. “I am extremely happy and wish to convey my special thanks to the Government of India for granting me a stay here. We have been in a relationship for the past five years. We were trying to secure a visa for a long time, and finally, it happened. I have been granted a 45-day visa,” Javeria told news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Amritsar, Punjab: A Pakistani woman, Javeria Khanum arrived in India (at the Attari-Wagah border) to marry her fiancé Sameer Khan, a Kolkata resident. She was welcomed in India to the beats of 'dhol'.
— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2023
She says, "I am extremely happy...I want to convey my special thanks… pic.twitter.com/E0U00TIYMX
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