An Indian woman, Uzma, who was forced to marry a Pakistani man at gunpoint, returned to the country today after the Islamabad High Court allowed her plea and ordered the police to escort her to the Wagah Border. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed her back home, calling her “India’s daughter”.
Uzma – Welcome home India’s daughter. I am sorry for all that you have gone through.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2017
She was accompanied by Indian mission officials, who crossed the Wagah Border on Thursday morning. Uzma, who is in her early 20s, hails from New Delhi and had gone to Pakistan earlier this month. She had accused Tahir Ali there of forcing her to marry him in Pakistan. She had reportedly met Ali in Malaysia and fallen in love with him.
On May 12, Uzma had petitioned the Islamabad High Court, requesting it to allow her to return home urgently, as her daughter from her first marriage in India suffered from Thalassemia — a blood disorder characterised by abnormal haemoglobin production.
The court also returned her the immigration papers, which were earlier taken away by Ali, who had submitted the documents after being told by the court to do so. She was staying at the Indian mission in Islamabad after she accused Ali of marrying her at gunpoint.
