The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday said that Uzma, an Indian woman who came to Pakistan to marry a man from Buner and went ‘missing’ last week, will be repatriated only after all legal requirements are completed.
Uzma, 20, had sought refuge at the Indian High Commission last week and asked to be repatriated to India after her marriage to Tahir Ali, a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming she only came to know after her nikkah was solemnised that Ali was already married and had four children.
During a court hearing on Monday, Uzma alleged that Ali had forced her to enter a marriage contract at gunpoint and subsequently subjected her to physical and sexual abuse. He also confiscated her documents, she claimed, adding that she was not under any sort of pressure while recording her statement.
FO Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told DawnNews that Uzma's case is currently being heard in court and she will only be able to return once all legal requirements are complete.
Zakaria added that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had also requested the FO for details pertaining to Uzma's marriage to Ali.
The next hearing of Uzma's case has been set for July 11.
