Seema Haider, the Pakistani woman who left her country to marry her Indian lover, is under the limelight again but for the wrong reasons this time.
The Indian government has announced a slew of measures against Pakistan in the wake of a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 men.
One of the measures taken by the government is the suspension of the visas for all Pakistani citizens.
This has led to a fresh scrutiny of Seema Haider, who entered India illegally in 2023 to marry Sachin Meena.
Seema, already married with four kids back home, had met Sachin online during the Covid-19 pandemic and entered India illegally via Nepal to meet him.
The couple eventually got married and had a daughter in 2024 named Bharti.
Seema Haider’s lawyer says she can’t be kicked out of India
Despite the countrywide backlash, her lawyer is hopeful that she will be allowed to live in India, as, he claimed, she was no longer a Pakistani citizen.
“Seema is no longer a Pakistani national. She married Sachin Meena, a resident of Greater Noida, and recently gave birth to their daughter, Bharti Meena. Her citizenship is now connected with her Indian husband, and therefore the Centre’s directive should not apply to her,” Advocate AP Singh told PTI in an interview.
Singh argued that the Centre’s order was applicable only to those who currently hold Pakistani citizenship.
“Seema is in India, and she is Indian. A woman’s nationality is determined by her husband’s nationality after marriage,” he said.
He also pointed out that her case is distinct because it is already under investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
“I have also filed a petition on her behalf with the President of India. She is out on bail and has been fully complying with the conditions set by the Jewar court, which include not leaving her in-laws’ residence in Rabupura, Greater Noida,” Singh added.
Quoting international legal frameworks, Singh said, “The International Court of Justice and the Guardianship Act clearly state that a mother is the best guardian for a child. Would you want to send a daughter born in India to Pakistan?”
He said Seema’s marriage and motherhood are part of a naturalised process.
“The birth certificate issued by the Uttar Pradesh government names Seema Meena as the mother and Sachin Meena as the father of the child. This reinforces her integration into Indian society,” the lawyer said.
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