Seema Haider appeals to PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath to let her stay in India after visa suspensions for Pakistani nationals
NEW DELHI: Seema Haider, the Pakistani woman who crossed into India in 2023 to marry her Indian lover Sachin Meena, has appealed to the Indian government to allow her to stay, following the suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals after the Pahalgam terror attack, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Seema Haider, now living in Greater Noida with her husband and children, insists she has become an Indian by marriage and pleads to remain in the country.
In a video widely shared on social media, Seema said, “I do not want to go to Pakistan. I appeal to PM Modi and UP CM Yogi to let me stay in India.” Haider, who was earlier married in Pakistan’s Sindh province, illegally entered India via Nepal along with her four children. She claims to have embraced Hinduism after marrying Sachin Meena and recently gave birth to their daughter, Bharti Meena.
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Her lawyer, Advocate AP Singh, asserted, “Seema is no longer a Pakistani national. Her citizenship is now connected with her Indian husband, and therefore the Centre’s directive should not apply to her.”
Seema Haider’s plea comes amid heightened tensions, with India cancelling visas for Pakistani nationals and urging them to leave by the amended deadlines.
The Indian government, responding strongly to the Pahalgam terror attack, suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals and cancelled all valid visas effective April 27, except for medical visas which remain valid until April 29. Pakistani nationals currently in India have been asked to leave before their visa expiry.
Seema left Karachi in May 2023 and was found living with Sachin Meena in Rabupura, Uttar Pradesh, by Indian authorities in July. The couple, who first connected in 2019 while playing online games, now reside together in Greater Noida.
In her emotional plea, Seema reiterated, “I was Pakistan’s daughter but now I’m India’s daughter-in-law. Let me stay here.”