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Seema Haider, the Pakistani woman who crossed borders for love, has made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking permission to stay in India amid rising fears of deportation.
Haider, who left her home in Karachi in May 2023 and illegally entered India via Nepal with her four children, gained widespread attention last year. She came to marry her Indian lover, Sachin Meena, whom she reportedly met while playing online games in 2019.
“I was Pakistan’s daughter, but now I’m India’s daughter-in-law,” Seema said in an emotional video circulating on social media. She emphasized her desire to stay in India permanently and revealed that she has embraced Hinduism after marrying Meena.
The couple currently resides in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and recently welcomed a daughter, Bharti Meena. Seema’s lawyer, Advocate AP Singh, asserted that her ties to Pakistan have been severed and her new family links should protect her from deportation.
“Seema is no longer a Pakistani national. Her marriage to an Indian citizen and the birth of their daughter connect her citizenship to India. Therefore, the recent government directive should not apply to her,” Singh told PTI.
Seema’s appeal comes at a tense time. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government has taken strict retaliatory measures, including the suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals and the cancellation of all existing visas, effective April 27. Only medical visas will remain valid until April 29.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also instructed all Pakistani nationals currently residing in India to leave the country before their visa expiry.
Seema Haider, however, hopes that her special circumstances and new family ties will allow her to stay and continue her life in India. “I appeal to Modi ji and Yogi ji I am under your refuge now. Please let me live here,” she said in her video message.
