I’m India’s daughter-in-law, let me stay here: Pregnant Pak woman appeals to PM
Islamabad’s Maryam, who is married to man from Bulandshahr’s Khurja, urges for permanent visa after government’s directive to Pakistani nationals to leave India following the Pahalgam attack
A three-month pregnant Pakistani woman, who got married to a man from Bulandshahr’s Khurja in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 and came to India in February this year on a tourist visa, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow her to stay here, claiming she no longer belongs to Pakistan but is now a ‘daughter-in-law of India’.
“I was certainly Pakistan’s daughter once, but now I am India’s daughter-in-law. I don’t want to go back. I want to live here as an Indian at heart,” said Maryam, 29, as she broke down while talking to HT with her husband Amir sitting beside her.
“I am deeply saddened by the Pahalgam incident. The culprits must be punished. But what is my fault? I am pregnant. How can I travel in such a condition?” she said, adding that she had already spent three years living without her husband due to visa issues.
In the wake of April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Centre on April 24 revoked visas of all Pakistani nationals in India, effectively giving them 72 hours to leave the country. Maryam is currently residing in Bulandshahr on a tourist visa, which requires her to return to Pakistan.
However, desperate to stay with her husband, she claims she has also sent a petition to the President through the senior superintendent of police of Bulandshahr, requesting a long-term visa in light of her pregnancy.
Bulandshahr SSP Dinesh Kumar Singh confirmed that Maryam would remain in Bulandshahr for now. “A final decision on her departure will be made after further guidelines from the government. Meanwhile, her exit form has been filled in but she will stay here until new orders come,” he said.
Maryam, originally from Islamabad, married Amir on July 8, 2022. Their marriage was arranged by Amir’s relatives living in Islamabad. However, post-marriage, Maryam was unable to secure a long-term visa, resulting in a forced separation from her husband for nearly three years.
At Amir’s suggestion, Maryam finally arrived in India on a three-month tourist visa on February 12, 2025. She applied for a long-term visa on March 15, but her application remains pending. Now, with the sudden government order following the Pahalgam attack, she faces the possibility of deportation.
Maryam’s husband Amir, however, said they would abide by government directives. “We have submitted a ‘mercy petition’ to the President. We trust the administration’s decision and will comply accordingly,” he said.
Authorities revealed that 18 Pakistani nationals currently reside in Bulandshahr on long-term visas. These individuals, all married to Indian citizens, have applied for Indian citizenship and are under regular watch by police and intelligence agencies. However, four Pakistani women, who were in India on short-term visas, have already been sent back.
