'I was Pakistan's daughter, but now...': Seema Haider appeals to stay in India amid visa ban

Noida: Seema Haider, the Pakistani national who crossed into India illegally last year to marry her Indian partner, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to allow her to remain in the country, amid fears of deportation following a government crackdown on Pakistani visas.

“I was Pakistan's daughter, but now I’m India’s daughter-in-law,” Haider said in an emotional video circulating on social media. “I do not want to go back to Pakistan. I appeal to Modi ji and Yogi ji to let me stay in India.”

Haider made headlines in 2023 when she left her husband and home in Pakistan’s Sindh province, travelling to India via Nepal with her four children to be with Sachin Meena, a man from Greater Noida whom she met through an online gaming platform in 2019. The couple have since married and recently welcomed a daughter named Bharti Meena.

Haider also claims to have adopted Hinduism after her marriage. Her lawyer, Advocate A.P. Singh, insists she should no longer be considered a Pakistani citizen. “Seema is no longer a Pakistani national. She has married an Indian citizen and now has a child here. Her citizenship is aligned with her husband, and the Centre’s directive should not apply to her,” he said.

The appeal comes in the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, in which several civilians were killed. In response, the Indian government, during a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi, announced a suspension of all visa services for Pakistani nationals from 27 April. Existing visas will also be cancelled, with the exception of medical visas, which remain valid until 29 April.

Pakistani nationals currently in India have been instructed to leave the country upon the expiry of their visas.