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Punjab: Kapurthala woman released, reunited with Pak husband
After spending over one-and-a-half month in a shelter home at Lahore’s Dar-ul-Aman, she has been now released to stay with her husband in Nayi Abadi area in Sheikhupura district of Pakistan
Sarabjit Kaur (48), an Indian national who married a Pakistani man after converting to Islam during a Sikh pilgrimage in November last year, has been reunited with her husband.
After spending over one-and-a-half month in a shelter home at Lahore’s Dar-ul-Aman, she has been now released to stay with her husband in Nayi Abadi area in Sheikhupura district of Pakistan.
Sarabjit — who adopted the name Noor Hussain after her marriage — was to be repatriated to India on January 6 but her repatriation at Attari-Wagah border was halted at the last moment.
She was arrested by Pakistan security agencies on January 4 after her single-entry pilgrimage visa expired.
As per the statements of her lawyer, Ahemad Hassan Pasha, the Evacuee trust property board had recorded their statement in the Lahore High Court that she could be repatriated on political grounds as she had converted to Islam and solemnised “nikah” according to rituals in Islam. The court ordered her release on Thursday, following which she was taken to her husband’s house.
The court was informed that several petitions related to her marriage, visa status and citizenship claims are still under consideration by the Lahore high court, he added.
In the latest video after meeting her husband, Sarabjit, who hails from Kapurthala’s Amanipur village, said her 8-year-long love story led her to decide to stay in Pakistan.
“I will spend the rest of my life in Pakistan. Those who truly believe in love know we will meet one day,” she said.
However, HT couldn’t independently verify the veracity of the video clips.
Sarabjit was part of a 1,932-member Sikh jatha that entered Pakistan on November 4 last year to participate in the 556th birth anniversary (Gurpurb) celebrations of Guru Nanak. She subsequently went missing from Nankana Sahib and, on November 5, converted to Islam and married Nasir Hussain (43), a resident of Nayi Abadi area in Sheikhupura district.
The couple’s “nikahnama” (marriage certificate) and an 18-second video of their marriage ceremony were widely circulated on social media, triggering a controversy. Both were detained by Pakistan Police on November 13 but were later released as Sarabjit was holding a valid two-month pilgrimage visa at the time.
In one of the audio clips after her repatriation row, her ex-husband Karnail Singh, who is settled in the United Kingdom, claimed that Sarabjit was blackmailed and forced to live in the neighbouring country.
