National: Amid the Indian government’s suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals following the Pahalgam terror attack, Seema Haider, who fears deportation, has made an emotional plea to be allowed to remain in India. In a video circulating on social media, Haider declared, “I was Pakistan’s daughter, but now I’m India’s daughter-in-law,” appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to let her stay.
Haider made headlines in 2023 when she illegally entered India via Nepal with her four children to marry her Indian lover, Sachin Meena. She was previously married and living in Sindh province, Pakistan, but after her marriage to Meena, she claims to have adopted Hinduism. Despite widespread backlash, her legal counsel remains optimistic about her future in India. Advocate AP Singh stated that Seema is no longer a Pakistani citizen, arguing her marriage and recent childbirth—of their daughter Bharti Meena—tie her to India.
Following a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by PM Modi, India announced a suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals, effective April 27. Additionally, the Ministry of External Affairs has ordered the cancellation of all valid visas, with only medical visas remaining valid until April 29. Pakistani nationals currently in India have been instructed to leave before their visas expire.
Seema’s case is seen as a complicated one. Having left Karachi in May 2023 and subsequently caught living with Meena in Greater Noida’s Rabupura area, her journey from a chance online encounter in 2019 to her present situation reflects both personal resilience and deep legal uncertainty. The couple currently resides in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida, awaiting clarity on Haider’s fate amidst the diplomatic fallout.
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