‘She should just send her children back to Pakistan, she can stay in India, now she is no longer even a Muslim’
Karachi: A Pakistani mother of four, who sneaked into India without any valid documentsto live with a Hindu man whom she befriended and fell in love with through an online game PUBG, has been ostracised by her family and neighbours here for daring to defy the societal norms in this conservative Muslim country, a report in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
The dramatic love story of Seema Ghulam Haider and Sachin Meena unfolded over the course of three years living more than 1,300 km apart, in countries not too friendly to each other, when they began playing PUBG in 2019.
Since their release on bail about a week ago Seema, (27) and Sachin (22), are living in the Rabupura area of Greater Noida, near Delhi, where he runs a provision store, according to Uttar Pradesh Police.
Seema was arrested on July 4 for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal with her four children, all aged below seven years. Sachin and his father were also taken into ccustody for harbouring the illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, news from across the border from her village in Sindh province, is not so positive. Seema’s neighbours and a relatives out there have made it clear to this PTI Correspondent that they don’t want her back in Pakistan.
“She should just send her children back to Pakistan. She can stay there. Now she is no longer even a Muslim,” said the 16-year-old son of the landlord in whose rented home Seema stayed with her children for the last three years before she came to India, .
Her home is in a neighbourhood of Bhittaiabad a Katchi Abadi in the heart of Gulistan-e-Jauhar and is nothing much to talk about as it is a three-room portion, in a building devoid of any paint and located in a narrow lane full of garbage and overflowing sewerages.
A visit to Seema’s house by this correspondent, shatters the myth that her husband Ghulam Haider, employed in Saudi Arabia, bought her the house for Rs 1.2 million.
The stench of sewage is toxic in the air as one drives down the crowded un-constructed lane and broken road bustling with people and shops on both sides with flies aplenty and a general unsanitary environment.
“No, she was a tenant with us for three years with her children. She lived alone with her children. Her father-in-law lives some distance away from here,” Nur Muhammad, the landlord’s son, explained.
“We saw her call a taxi and leave one day with her children and some bags and we thought she was going to her village in Jacobabad. But after nearly a month, when we heard about her escapade on TV channels, we were all shocked,” adds Jamal Jakhrani, an elderly neighbour.
Efforts to try to talk to women in the narrow lane failed as the area is mostly inhabited by tribal area Pashtuns, Sindhis and Seraikis from rural parts and the men don’t allow their women to talk to strangers and make them observe Purdah.
.Jamal, who belongs to the same tribe as Seema and Ghulam Haider, believes it is best Seema remains in India now.
“If ever she thinks of coming back, she will not be forgiven by the tribe and secondly her decision to stay with a Hindu has angered everyone now,” Jamal said.
Mian Mithoo, a high-profile religious leader in rural Sindh, known for using his seminary to convert Hindu girls to Islam and even bandits, has openly threatened to punish Seema if she returns.
His supporters have also threatened to attack Hindu worship places in Seema’s village but SSP Kashmore-Kandhkot, Irfan Samoo, assured Hindus and Sikhs they would be protected.
Samoo, however, is puzzled by the whole case and has found anomalies in Seema’s documents.“Her national identity card says she was born in 2002. So, she should be 21 years of age now and yet she has four children all up to the age of 6 years,” he said.
Samoo also said the police have asked Ghulam Haider to return from Saudi Arabia but he has been in touch with them only on video or phone calls.
An officer at the police station in Karachi where Seema’s father-in-law filed an FIR, said :“One thing is clear, Seema was frustrated with her husband’s absence and being forced to take care of four children by herself as she had no support even from her in-law, forced her to take this extreme step,” he said.
Maulvi Samiuddin, a prayer leader in the neighbourhood mosque, was initially not even willing to talk about the incident but then says Seema was evil.
“Husbands should never leave their wives alone for years and parents need to constantly keep a watch over their daughters and sisters or we will have more such incidents in future as well because most people, especially women, are not educated enough in such poor neighbourhoods to understand the consequences of their actions,” he said.
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