KARACHI: A cross-border couple from India and Pakistan was forced to hold their marriage ceremony online last week after the bride’s visa was denied by authorities in New Delhi, with the newlyweds saying on Tuesday they hoped Indian authorities would grant her travel permission so they can begin their life together.
Mohammad Abbas Haider from Jaunpur, India, and Syeda Andleeb Zahra Zaidi from Lahore, Pakistan, have known each other since childhood, as their families have been closely connected.
The couple’s wedding, originally set for October 18 in India, was disrupted when Zaidi’s visa application was rejected, highlighting the challenges faced by families separated across borders.
“This has been an emotional and difficult experience for us, as we had hoped to celebrate this special moment side by side,” Zaidi told Arab News over the phone. “We request Indian authorities to grant the visa so we can finally be together.”
The couple’s story highlights the challenges faced by residents of the two neighboring countries seeking visas to meet family members, mostly separated during the 1947 partition, or for work-related or tourism purposes.
Strained relations between the two nuclear-armed states, downgraded after India’s decision in October 2019 to withdraw special rights for Indian-administered Kashmir, have led to stricter security measures and bureaucratic hurdles, complicating the visa process.
“The current sponsorship requirements are a barrier for ordinary people,” Haider, the groom, said in a conversation with Arab News, urging both governments to simplify visa procedures.
He added that his wife’s mother was his aunt, who had migrated to Pakistan in 1986 after marrying Syed Ali Zaidi, a resident of Lahore. They had visited India regularly until 2020 before visa complications arose.
“When we decided it was time to get married, they applied for a visa but encountered difficulties,” he said.
Haider explained their marriage had been arranged by their grandparents long ago.
“It’s not just about marriages,” he added, emphasizing that inter-country unions and easier movement could foster greater understanding.
“The false narrative that portrays enmity between our nations overlooks the fact that people live in both places and love and kindness are shared similarly,” he continued.
“When people from one country come to the other, they receive love in return,” he added, urging simplification of visa procedures and documentation requirements.
Haider described their nikkah, the Islamic marriage contract formalizing the union under Sharia law, saying it was initially planned as a large event but turned out to be a simple ceremony attended by close relatives.
“Insha’Allah [God willing], when my wife arrives here in India, we will hold a grand celebration,” he said, hoping the issue will attract the attention of higher authorities and push them to issue visas to the bride and her family.
Zaidi, meanwhile, shared this sentiment, expressing her eagerness to visit India with her family to complete their marriage rituals.
“It would mean the world to us to finally be together and complete this important chapter in our lives,” she said.
