New Delhi: After India decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), and ordered Pakistani people to leave the country within 48 hours after the Pahalgam terror attack, Seema Haider again made it to the headlines. Seema was earlier in the news and limelight when she left Pakistan to marry her Indian lover (Sachin Meena). Now, she faces fresh scrutiny that the Centre has ordered all citizens of that country (Pakistan) to leave India before the month ends, in retaliation. This decision was taken as part of a series of retaliatory steps by the Indian government.
Seema, already married with four kids back home, had illegally entered India via Nepal in 2023. Despite the countrywide backlash, her lawyer AP Singh is hopeful that she will be allowed to live in India, as, he claimed, she was no longer a ‘Pakistani citizen’.
Seema Haider no longer a ‘Pakistani national’: Advocate AK Singh
“Seema is no longer a Pakistani national. She married Sachin Meena, a resident of Greater Noida, and recently gave birth to their daughter, Bharti Meena. Her citizenship is now connected with her Indian husband, and therefore the Centre’s directive should not apply to her,” Advocate AP Singh told the media on Thursday (April 24).
Singh argued that the Centre’s order was applicable only to those who currently hold Pakistani citizenship. He also pointed out that her case is distinct because it is already under investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Seema Haider is ‘Indian’: AK Singh
“Seema is in India, and she is Indian. A woman’s nationality is determined by her husband’s nationality after marriage,” he said. “I have also filed a petition on her behalf with the President of India. She is out on bail and has been fully complying with the conditions set by the Jewar court, which include not leaving her in-laws’ residence in Rabupura, Greater Noida,” AK Singh said.
Quoting international legal frameworks, Singh said, “The International Court of Justice and the Guardianship Act clearly state that a mother is the best guardian for a child. Would you want to send a daughter born in India to Pakistan?” He said Seema’s marriage and motherhood are part of a naturalised process.
