'During India-Pak Match, I Will Support...': Pakistani Woman Who Crossed Border To Marry Kolkata Man

Love knows no boundaries, not even the myriad obstacles of political tension and literal borders between India and Pakistan. Bollywood’s romantic saga Veer Zara is one example of the prohibited affection between a Pakistani woman, who fell for an Indian man. Now, in a real-life tale reminiscent of the cinematic blockbuster, Pakistan’s Jawaria Khanum has come to India to marry her Kolkata-resident fiance Sameer Khan.

Khanum, who hails from Pakistan’s Karachi, crossed the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab’s Amritsar on Monday, and was welcomed by Sameer and his family members on beats of ‘dhol’ and ‘nagaras’.

The Pakistani woman is in India on a 45-day visa, and the couple is set to marry on January 6, 2024.

The couple’s love story began in May 2018, when Sameer, who was home from Germany where he was studying, saw Khanum’s photo on his mother’s phone and fell in love with her. Khanum is Sameer’s distant relative.

“It was love at first sight for me. I saw her photo on my mother’s phone and expressed my interest. I told my mother that I wanted to get married to Javeria. I told my mother that we would follow all legalities to marry her and both the Government helped me,” Sameer said while talking to News18.

Initially, the thought of marrying somebody from across the border made both families tense.

But later, Sameer and Khanum spoke to each other and met in Thailand in 2000 and decided to get married. The couple then started trying for legal procedures. It took them years of legal struggle, a pandemic, and three visa rejections before Khanum could come to India.

On Monday, when Sameer welcomed his would-be bride at the Attari border, both of them held each other and cried their hearts out.

“I would especially like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah for their help. I tagged them in a post on X and asked for their help, and indeed they helped me. She has come to me and it’s like a dream. I still feel like this is a dream. A girl is from Pakistan, could we marry each other? Tension about all these things was there in our mind, but now we will have a grand wedding,” Sameer said.

Sameer’s family also supported his cross-border love story in every way possible. On Monday night, when Khanum reached Sameer’s home, his mother Nusrat welcomed her with open arms. The whole entrance of their house was decorated with lights and lamps.

Speaking to News18, Khanum said, “Now it’s a heavenly feeling. It was difficult but with everyone’s support, I could come here, If the Indian government would give a visa to my parents, then they could also come for my wedding. I have a 45-day visa. We will get married during this time and will do the needful thereafter. I love India and Sameer’s family.”

Answering the big question about which team she would support during the India-Pakistan cricket match, Khanum said, “I will support Pakistan and he will support India. India-Pakistan match is always fun.”

Nusrat Khan, Sameer’s mother said, “I am so happy, we will do all the rituals of the wedding ceremony, including Haldi and Sangeet. I have designed her Haldi outfit that has all colours of India. We love our country and we thank our government. At times when her visa was rejected, we used to get worried. Now we are happy.”