The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday continued hearing the case of Indian national Uzma, who, in her six-page written reply to the court, reiterated her plea to be returned to India and allegation that she was 'forced to marry' her Pakistani husband, Tahir Ali.
Earlier this month, Uzma, 22, was reported to have gone 'missing' at the Indian High Commission, a few days after her marriage to Ali, a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
It emerged later that she had sought refuge in the Indian High Commission requested to be repatriated back to India.
Explore: ‘Missing’ Indian woman asked to be repatriated: FO
First Secretary at the Indian High Commission Piyush Singh was present at the IHC today. Their lawyer, Shahnawaz Noon, submitted a written reply to court that detailed Uzma's version of events.
She had earlier claimed she was forced to marry Tahir Ali on gunpoint; however, a copy of the written reply obtained by Dawn.com revealed more details.
"Threatened to kill, harassed and badly humiliated;" that is the beginning of Uzma's story of her marriage. She says she was made to sign the Nikkah document with a gun on her head.
But before she signed the document, she claims being "mercilessly deadened, sedated through sleeping pills and sexually assaulted" at the Wagah Border. When she re-gained consciousness, she claims she was in Buner, KP. She added she was "tremendously tortured, physically and mentally" before being made to sign the marriage document.
Explore: Uzma to be repatriated only after completion of legal formalities: FO
Uzma's lawyer aims to get permission from Islamabad to allow her to go back to India. Uzma's visa is said to expire on May 30.
Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria had earlier told DawnNews that Uzma would only be able to return to her country once all the legal requirements were completed.
Comments (82) Closed
Ms. Sushma Swaraj & Mr.Modi will take extra miles tirelessly to save an Indian irrespective of their cast and religion. Looking her back in India soon.
She was in full consciousness till she arrived at Wahga Border, later on her miseries started, unbelievable story, what are motives behind this?
Her wish, why is pakistan interfering. But one thing is sure way india.fights for its citizens is exemplary from 2 maulvis, kulbhushan jadhav or her, wish her luck
This is a great example, that religion alone is not enough to keep us together...Most importantly you should share the common values to co exist
Visa expire She is not citizen of Pakistan Why would Pakistani court want to hold her back even if her husband ask for stay order Unless she has committed a crime in Pakistan there is no law in civilised world to hold her back
Instead of a case to punish this man, the case is just to figure out whether she can return home or not. Very sad state of affairs.
She wants to get out of this marriage. Let her! After all she is an adult and has as much right as a man does to ask for a divorce.
What about the husband? Did he really marry her forcefully against her will, what about him?
I support Uzma's repatriation to India but her account of what happened starting from Wagah border looks clumsy & illogical. Why would someone start the harassment & xyz as narrated by her right from her arriving in Pakistan, this is illogical, why would anyone do such things immediately upon her arrival. I am not convinced needs explanation
Pakistan should now release her and send her to her own country. i.e. India.
@Abdulla Hussain Don' just yet jump to the conclusion without understanding full details . Cheers :)
After watching the video of the wedding ceremony it quit clear that her story is flawed; lies after lies, the Indian embassy is manipulating her! She should be allowed to see her husband and sort things out!
Whole story is just too fishy, she came fro Malaysia to India and then thru wagah to Pakistan, how things suddenly changed after she went to Indian embassy... too many flaws, something very fishy here for sure. We may never come to know at all or may be in few years we may see truth. But this guy should withdraw case and let her go immediately. Girl may open up in few months as she wouldnt be able to live with guilt of lies that if she is lieing which i think she is for various reasons. Whole story is just too fishy if you look back on sequence of events. I know very well these consulate affairs and sour Indians consulates will never support Indian marrying Pakistani. Looks to me girl is forced into all this by Indian govt.
it is illogical that a mature and adult woman comes to Pakistan for marriage purpose, the purpose of visit is written on her visa. How is it possible that just after crossing waga border the person started to torture just after receiving her? This seems to be flawed play which is being played by Indian High Commission, they are just misguiding the woman and brain washed her to play such an absurd game. It is simple if Uzam is not satisfied she has the right to get divorce from court and go back to India, but telling a lie for this purpose does not make any sense...
Instead of punishing the husband for the abuse, the poor victim is being made out to be the criminal. What kind of a country is this?
@Jonathan you r right, lots of video stuff is online available, its only Indian mentality working behind maligning Pakistan Image,
she is a foreign national and never committed a crime , so she should be allowed to leave Pakistan immediately.
She broke Pakistani law by getting married on a visitor visa. she lied to the Pak government of her intentions. Now she is trying to find a way out helped by the Indian consulate, perhaps due to pressure from her family in India.
@Malik
"I know very well these consulate affairs and sour Indians consulates will never support Indian marrying Pakistani. Looks to me girl is forced into all this by Indian govt."
Your assumption is false.. there are too many people across the border which have got married in past and consulate can not care less..
@Malik Pakistanis are master in conjuring up conspiracy where none exists! Man, sometimes even marriage of hundred years fail to stem the bitterness between husband and wife, here we have a case of supposed marriage for few hours only. If somebody wants to annul any relationship then let her, why chew on the false ego!!!
@Abdulla Hussain why would any body do such things? Please ask him. she is telling her experience. That is what happened to her.
@ga one of your compatriot is claiming .. she has come on a marriage visa implying how can be she forced to marry the guy.
Arre yaar.. first you guys should resolve the visa issue.. whether she came on tourist visa or marriage visa..
Looks like a simple case, Girl falls in love with a cab driver in Malaysia who tells he is rich and single, decides to visit him, guy asks her to marry,she agrees, finds out later that the guy had lied and was already married with kids, decides to go back when she is forcefully made to stay.Case looks simple yet made complicated as when she married the guy she was still on visitors visa.She should have been sent back why bother her so much. But one thing for sure that the current Indian Foreign Office leaves no stone unturned to save its people.
@azadi dil KI Just like Mr modi acted irrespective of religion in Gujrat during his CMship
There seems to be more of a pilitics going on here between 2 countries in this case rather than the real issue. No one knows the real issue here.
Conspiracy theory! Again? A husband and wife have differences and the wife has sought annulment of marriage. The case is in the Hon court. The court will decide. Routine thing... Where is the conspiracy?
@Blue Knight She is an educated Doctor. While the guy is a taxi driver from KP. Who do you think can be forced here against their will ?
@Blue Knight I don't know why people are making so much hue and cry about it. Its about two adults. How they married is not important here. What matters is for what ever reason the Indian national does not want to stay with her so called husband. The Indian consulate is doing what every consulate does ,that is, help its citizen in foreign land. Be mature. Don't make foolish assumptions and arguments.
@Shobhit & @INDIAN
You guys failed to note the quotation mark..
@Ajay you said civilised world..thts your answer
She should be checked by a physician to confirm her story.
The boy and girl are agree from each other, but this is the Indian embassy who changed the story into negative to defame Pakistan. Uzma is completely under pressure from Indian embassy.
@Bipul to get jusstice she need to be in pakistan to persue the case. after all she levelled serious allegations against her lover.
It's not that such things don't happen in India. But the difference being when such stories come out in India, people will come to the streets to support the woman. After all Victim bashing is real in Pakistan and in this case doubly true because of her nationality.
The problem is that she has accused her 'husband' of assualt and forceful marriage. In order to determine his fate she needs to be in the country and testify in the court. Once her testimony is complete then I believe she'd be free to go regardless of the outcome of her case against her 'husband'.
Indian govt. should advise its citizens against visiting Pakistan or vice versa. It is sometimes hazardous, waste of consular time and resources if citizens get into trouble as there is no consensus between the judiciaries of two countries.
@Bipul , this is Islamic country's law.
Even if she is legally married, she has the right to return to her country any time and she shall decide and come back if her husband gets her appropriate permit to live in Pakistan. Even if she was a Pakistani citizen she is free to travel.
Elementary law, but not in Pakistan.
@Abdulla Hussain let her go back to the civilized Society.
@Abdulla Hussain why take her to court and force an explanation? She has not committed a crime in Pakistan. She is not asking for any property from the man. There are no children or custody involved. If she wants to go to India, why not let her? I do not understand why the Pakistani foreign office got involved and dragged her to court?
@Afzal Nadir maybe she was cheated and found out about the man being married and having kids only after she came to Pakistan. He then took away her papers so she tricked him into taking her to Indian consulate. Once there - she should be allowed to go to India. On what grounds is the Pakistan foreign office holding her back and dragging her to court? She has not committed any crime in Pakistan.
If she don't want to live with tahir ali, just apply khulla take divorce and go back to her home. If Indian embassy concocted the case that's another matter to look in.
@Analyst she only accused because she was dragged to a court. Why drag her to a court? She has committed no crime in Pakistan.
@Abdulla Hussain A lady will not play the fool in such dire circumstances, ask your guards and officers who let a lady across the border in this state and all the way to kp. Wow, she is our sister and daughter . Let her go free as her visa is still valid.rab rakha
@M.Sadiq why did she go to Indian embassy? They did not kidnap her. The husband took her there isn't it?
@Najeeb Ahmad "... After all she levelled serious allegations against her lover.." Najeeb so what have your govt has done? Has it arrested the guy for the crime? Has it applied 3rd degree on him to get a confession?
The whole thing is suspicious. Looks like Indian conspiracy at play here, but Pakistan knows how to deal with these.
@Parmjit Singh Bhatti you mean civilized society where Muslim people get killed on suspicion of eating beef, and 1 million Indian soldiers are killing innocent Kashmiris day and night.
@LILLY Not true at all, we have seen how a rape victim has been treated by the Indian judiciary, and the perpetrators are set free.
Free the poor woman. Please let her go. Or it may become yet another legal farce we are so good at.
@Jonathan And get tortured and raped by a controlling and violent man? What a brilliant suggestion - like putting a goat in a hungry tiger's cage. Can only come from a compatriot.
This undesirable person should be sent back to her home as soon as possible.
Let her go to India if it is what she wants
@Parmjit Singh Bhatti she violated law in Pakistan, her request for visa is visit for Pakistan but not to marry, but she married, and movi clip shows both groom and bride groom happily married as well as comsumed their marriage. Indian consulate played badly wrong, better they describe correct situation but not to build wrong story, their image got bad . Now its court to decide I wish always good for both bride and bride groom as they are still in a relationship.
She should be allowed to go and live, whether Pakistan or Hindustan.
I 100% trust that the honorable high court will let her express her version without any duress and fear from the husband or the Indian Consulate. I also trust that if the Indian woman does not want to live with so called Pakistani husband and fears threads and torture while living with the man, the Court will give her freedom to return back to her family in India. Marriage is a life partnership of mutual love and trust. It can not be forced upon the husband or the wife if any of them has total rejection for the other partne due fear of victimization and torture.
IF she doesn't want to stay in Pakistan, LOGIC demands that she needs to be sent back to India. She entered PAKISTAN with a valid visa.
Pakistani FO will make sure that justice is done. Pakistani courts have very high standards. They will get to the bottom of this situation and get the clarity. This seems to be very important case that needs to be resolved before she is allowed to leave the country.
@Parmjit Singh Bhatti no kidding please, India civilized????
It should not take ages, the matter must be settled in couple of days. She must go through a medical check up, take khula as she desires and go back. All this is filmi, a lonely girl from india comes to Pakistan for what?? Fishy?? Got married??? Goes to embassy for what??? Visa for her husband???? Fishy?? Stays in the consulate???? Fishy??? This girls has exposing to do and then surely she must leave
India is blessed to have leaders like modiji and the most compassionate Ms Sushma Swarajji. God has finally listened to the prayers of all Indians except the corrupt. No matter how Pakistan spins this , these leaders work tirelessly for people of all religion as long as they are woven by a common thread of being Indian : This young lAdy may be Muslim but is a daughter of India
@Ajay Question is "civilized "
@Malik Don't jump to your own conclusions, let the court decide if het story makes sense. Also she is free to make her choice where to live; you cannot force her..!
Uzma's story his missing links and thus it is unbelievable. In case she was forced to do everything, then why the so-called her Pak husband brought him to Indian Mission in Islamabad. Is he so naive or this Indian lady is a super woman!
What would a girl do once she knows that the man she married is already married and have four children.
@Malik Indian govt has more important things to do rather than meddling in someone's personal life
We in subcontinent are of Gens who is to be blamed for it. When 'Morality' vanishes to society how big it may be get destruction.
@azadi dil KI It was duty of Pakistan's civil society to do so.
@indian More over Human values.
@Abdulla Hussain Then better ask that man to narrate true story.
@Akram The marriage forcefully or not now doesn't matter, as of now the girl is not interested. In a marriage both has to agree and it should be mutual, if one of them is out, the marriage ends. Forget the legalities on moral grounds marriage is only when both parties agree.
@Patriot By so we need not do so have respect for lady in question.
@Sach salute you
@M.Sadiq : shadow part from your assumptions do you have any facts?
Nobody knows the truth. The fact is she wants to come back. She has not harmed anybody so she should be allowed to come back otherwise this will only spoil lives and waste time.
@M Wasim K
Paramjit Singh want to say "let her return to civilised country i,.e. India" He is very much correct saying this.
@M.Sadiq Both are Muslims. So let her to take Khulla from her husband and return to India.
@Aseem Before applying visa the whole situation was OK . Why after the applying visa the whole situation suddenly changed?? Tahir is ready for medical test why his medical does not conduct
@Abdulla Hussain Why worry about about any explanation unless government want to prosecute her alleged husband. Just dissolve the marriage and send her back to India. Case closed
@BK What is there to decide? If a man wants to dissolve marriage , he says Talak three times and done. Why is she have to go through any hearing about her marriage. just dissolve it and send her back to India.
@Guest I appreciate your sarcasm
@Sara NO- countries that procecute without evidence are civilised
Side by side with legal activities, she also needs to see a psychiatrist. By the way I am an Indian.