LAHORE: An Indian Sikh pilgrim, who had come here to attend the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, married a Muslim man of Sheikhupura.
Sarabjeet Kaur, 48, was among 2,000 Sikh pilgrims who had entered Lahore via Wagah border from India early this month to attend the festivities related to the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, at Gurdwara Janamasthan, Nankana Sahib.
On Nov 13, the visiting Indian Sikhs returned to their country but Ms Kaur had gone missing. Later, it transpired that she had contracted marriage with Nasir Hussain of Sheikhupura district, a day after her arrival on Nov 4. When the pilgrims went to Nankana Sahib the same day, Kaur skipped the gathering and reached Sheikhupura along with Hussain.
Sheikhupura District Police Officer Bilal Zafar told Dawn that Sarabjeet Kaur married a Muslim man.
“The couple has gone into hiding and police are searching for them,” he said, ruling out the chance that the couple was in the custody of an intelligence agency.
Ms Kaur was given a Muslim name, Noor, before the nikah ceremony.
In a video clip circulating on social media, she said she knew Nasir Hussain for the last nine years through social media.
“I am a divorcee and wanted to marry Hussain; therefore, I came here for the purpose,” she said.
In the court of judicial magistrate Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Warraich, Sarabjeet Kaur denied that she was abducted.
“I happily married Hussain,” she said and added she brought nothing from India. She alleged after marriage, some people entered the house of her husband and misbehaved with them.
“They threatened to register a false case against us,” Kaur alleged and urged the Pakistan government to provide her and her husband with security.
An official told Dawn that the Shiromani Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee’s own policy did not allow a single woman to come to Pakistan for pilgrimage alone and it had violated its own policy.
“Sarabjeet Kaur had come here alone. It should be investigated by the Indian authorities as to why she was allowed to travel to Pakistan alone,” he said and added that the authorities here did not want to restrict the movement of visiting pilgrims and the responsibility of slipping of Ms Kaur here lay with the Indian gurdwara apex body.
The official said Kaur might be deported back to India. “She may be asked to come back here on a spouse visa,” he added