Seema Haider finds herself summoned by a family court in Noida, India, following a challenge to the validity of her marriage with Sachin Meena. Seema Haider, a Pakistani national, made headlines last year after illegally crossing into India with her four minor children to be with her lover. Haider's story took an unexpected turn when her first husband, Ghulam Haider, residing in Karachi, Pakistan, initiated legal proceedings through an Indian lawyer, questioning the legitimacy of her marriage with Sachin Meena. The crux of Ghulam Haider's petition lies in the assertion that Seema had not obtained a divorce from him, thereby casting doubt on the validity of her subsequent marriage with Sachin Meena.
Legal Maneuvers and International Assistance
The legal battle escalated as Ghulam Haider sought assistance from renowned Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, Ansar Burney, in securing custody of his four children. Ansar Burney, in turn, engaged the services of Indian lawyer Ali Momin, furnishing him with power of attorney to initiate legal proceedings in Indian courts.
Ghulam Haider's legal representative, Momin Malik, asserts that Seema Haider's marriage with Sachin Meena lacks legal standing due to her failure to obtain a divorce from her first husband. Furthermore, Ghulam Haider contests the religious conversion of their children, highlighting the complexity of the case.
Haider, in interviews with media outlets such as the BBC, has proclaimed her adherence to Hinduism and her refusal to return to Pakistan. She maintains that her children have also embraced Hinduism, a claim that has stirred debate over the legality of religious conversion, particularly among minors, under international law. She has been directed to appear before the family court in Noida on May 27th, where the merits of her marriage with Sachin Meena and the custody of her children will be deliberated.
What Pak Woman Seema Haider Has To Say On CAA Implication?
Seema Haider (30) entered India last year in July 2023 with her four children from her first marriage and entered India illegally from Pakistan via Nepal to live and marry her lover Sachin Meena (22) whom she met through an online game PUBG, which later led to the growing kinship of the lovers.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that was passed in the parliament in 2019 is finally the new law of the country, implemented on March 11, 2024, in light of the elections. The bill has faced a lot of protest and backlash, with accusations of being 'Anti-Muslim', 'Anti-Secular' and not a democratic law.
Haider who is a Pakistani citizen, has now lived with Meena, a Greater Noida citizen, for a year like a married couple and claims to have adopted Hinduism, has reacted to the implementation of the Citizenship Law and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same.
Haider released a video clip of her with her new family and expressed that they are "very happy" and lauded the Centre's move and hailed PM Modi as she said, "We congratulate the Indian Government" and said PM Modi has done what he has promised.
Haider then said that the Citizenship Law will help her and her family get Indian citizenship, and she said she will remember the Modi government for gifting her this. Haider could then be seen celebrating the law's implementation with tricolour flags and shouting slogans.
However, it is to be noted that Haider would not be a direct beneficiary of the law as her original religion would be Muslim and she would have hailed to India after the cut-off date from Pakistan, as the CAA law aims to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants who hailed from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh on or before December 31, 2014.
The CAA rules also noted that non-Muslim migrants immigrating to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (Muslim majority countries) should fast-track their Indian citizenship within 6 years of residing in India after facing religious persecution in their country, while undocumented Muslim immigrants will have to wait 11 years for the same.
As Haider celebrated the law, she also thanked her advocate, AP Singh, for helping her sort out her citizenship-related challenges, and reportedly, Haider also previously wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu to get her Indian citizenship as she married an Indian man.
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