Indian woman says forcibly married to Pakistani man, wants to be repatriated

Indian woman, who says she was forcibly married to a Pakistani man at gun point, said on Monday she would not leave the Indian high commission in Islamabad till she is repatriated with “full security”.

The woman, identified only as Uzma, approached judicial magistrate’s court with an application that stated she wants to “go back to my homeland” of her own will. “I would like to go back to my home with full security,” the application said.

The court recorded Uzma’s statement and set July 11 as the next date for hearing the case.

Uzma, who hails from New Delhi, met and became friendly with Tahir Khan in Malaysia, her application said. She got in touch with Khan again after returning to India.

The application said Khan “forced” her to get a Pakistani visa to go and visit him. After she crossed the Wagah land border, Khan picked up Uzma in a car and, after travelling a short distance, gave her some “medicine” that caused her to become unconscious, the application added.

She awoke at 10 pm to find herself in Khan’s home in a “strange village



with strange people”. Khan’s family did not speak Hindi.

“That night, Tahir sexually assaulted and tortured me and threatened to kill me…Next day, they brought me to a dirty and strange house, they took my signature on Nika Nama (marriage contract) at gun point,” the application said.

Uzma said she found out later that Khan already had a wife and four children. She added she was beaten and tortured and that she managed to get away from Khan when she came to the Indian mission in Islamabad to receive some money sent by her brother in Delhi.

“I do not want to go outside the High Commission until I return to my home in Delhi,” she said in her application.

Khan had claimed the Indian mission had detained Uzma when she went there to apply for his visa. However, this has been rejected by Indian officials.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said it had been informed by the Indian mission that Uzma wanted to be repatriated. In an official statement, the Foreign Office acknowledged Uzma had alleged that Khan “was already married and had four children”.