Noida: Pak woman’s husband seeks both government’s help to get his kids back

Speaking to Hindustan Times from Saudi Arabia’s Mecca, where he is employed, 34-year-old Jakhrani said he is in contact with Indian and Pakistani media to get his voice heard by both governments

Refuting claims that he had divorced Seema Ghulam Haider, the 27-year-old woman who was arrested two days ago by the Gautam Budh Nagar police on charges of entering the country illegally, her husband Ghulam Haider Jakhrani on Thursday said he wants both the Indian and Pakistani governments to make efforts to ensure that his four children are returned to him safely.

Seema Ghulam Haider, the 27-year-old woman who was arrested two days ago by the Gautam Budh Nagar police on charges of entering the country illegally. (HT Photo)

Speaking to Hindustan Times from Saudi Arabia’s Mecca, where he is employed, 34-year-old Jakhrani said he is in contact with Indian and Pakistani media to get his voice heard by both governments.

“I found out through the Indian media that my wife has been arrested in Greater Noida and that she has also taken our four children there. My only concern is for my children -- the eldest is seven and the youngest four -- and I urge both Indian and Pakistani governments to make efforts to bring the kids back to Pakistan so that I can be reunited with them,” said Jakhrani, who works as a daily wager in Mecca’s rural outskirts.

The police apprehended the woman, her male friend Sachin Meena (22) and his father Netrapal Singh (51) on Saturday. After three days of questioning, Seema were arrested on Monday for illegally entering India, while Meena and his father were arrested for helping and providing shelter to a foreign national who entered the country illegally, under relevant provisions of the Foreigners’ Act and the Passport Act.

Investigations revealed that Seema left Pakistan with her children on May 11 and, on May 13, she reached Meena’s home in Greater Noida’s Rabupura, after gaining entry to India through Nepal illegally on a Nepalese visa. She told police that she intended to live with Meena, along with her four children, as the two loved each other.

The same day that Seema went missing, Jakhrani said his father Ameer Jan filed a missing person complaint at the Malir Cantonment police station in Karachi, Pakistan.

HT accessed the complaint by Ameer Jan and it said, “Since May 10, my son Ghulam Haider, who lives in Saudi Arabia, has not been able to contact his wife and four children. After he asked me to check, I came to Karachi but found their house locked. On asking the landlord, I was told that Seema has gone to her village for four to five days. However, I checked at her village in Khairpur Mir, and she has not reached there either. I request the police to register an FIR.”

Jakhrani said contrary to Seema’s claims, he never divorced her nor does he plan to do so.

“I love my wife and children and have been working in Saudi Arabia to provide a better life to them. I have been sending (Pakistani rupees) PKR 80,000 every month to Seema since 2019. Last year, my eldest son was also enrolled in a private school in Karachi,” said Jakhrani, who is illiterate and used to chat with Seema over WhatsApp through voice notes.

He further claimed that in April, Seema had asked him for PKR 3 lakh and he had sent it across to her. “Seema said that she wants to come to Saudi Arabia with the kids for an Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca-Medina. For that, she asked me to send her PKR 3 lakh in April. She also asked me to get a Pakistani CNIC card made (computerised national identity card), which I got done online from Saudi Arabia. I thought she was planning to come to Saudi Arabia, whereas she was planning to go to India,” said Jakhrani.

He added that Seema sold a house that Jakhrani had bought in her name in Karachi. “I had bought the house in 2018 for PKR 6 lakh and was paying EMI for that too. Now I have found that Seema had sold that property for PKR 12 lakh,” he said.

He revealed that Seema and his four children have been living in a rented home in Karachi’s Dodapur village in Sindh province since 2015.

“Seema and I had a love marriage as she belonged to a different village than mine. While I was from Jacobabad, Seema was from Khairpur Mir. We fell in love in 2013 but I was already married to another woman as per my parents wishes. However, Seema declared her love and asked me to divorce my wife so that we could start our own family. In 2014, after leaving her family, she came to my home and started living with us,” said the 34-year-old.

The last time Jakhrani spoke to Seema was on May 9. That day, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested and internet services were suspended all over Karachi.

“The last communication I have from Seema are her voice notes on May 9 just before the internet got suspended. She said she is not feeling well and that she will call me in some time. Later, Seema called me from a local number and asked me not to worry, and said we will speak again once internet is restored. However, since May 10, her number remained switched off and I have not been able to speak to her,” said Jakhrani.

Seema has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, along with Sachin and his father.