In yet another cross-border love story, Javeria Khanum from Pakistan’s Dera Ismail crossed the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab’s Amritsar to marry her fiance, Sameer Khan, a Kolkata resident of Kolkata, in January. Khan and his family members welcomed Khanum to the beats of ‘dhol’.
The Pakistani resident, who has been granted a 45-day visa after two previous rejections, thanked the government of India for its cooperation. “I am extremely happy…I want to convey my special thanks to the Government of India for the help,” Khanum said in a brief interaction with reporters at Attari.
The couple had been in the relationship for the last five years. Apart from Visa rejection, the Covid pandemic also stalled their marriage plans.
“I have been granted a 45-day visa. I am very happy to be here. Just on arrival, I am already getting so much love here. In the first week of January the marriage will be solemnised,” she added.
Initially the thought of marrying someone from Pakistan made both the families tensed. The two also met in Thailand and decided that they would get married to each other, after which they started to opt for legal procedure.
Khanum had tried to get a visa on two occasions but got lucky the third time. “It is a happy ending and a happy beginning,” she said, expressing her happiness at being able to travel to India to get married.
“Everyone back home was very happy. I can’t believe I have got the visa after five years, she added. Sharing how the couple got in touch,” Khan said he expressed interest in marrying Khanum after seeing her photo on his mother’s phone.
On Monday, Sameer went to the Attari-Wagah border where he welcomed Javeria.
“For me it was love at first sight and I told my mother that we will follow all legalities and both the governments helped me. I would especially like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah as I tagged them on Twitter and asked their help and they helped me indeed,” Sameer told News18.
The couple’s love story started in May 2018. Khan had come home from Germany where he was studying. “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,” he said while talking about their love story.
Earlier, the visa was rejected twice and in between there was the Covid pandemic, Khan said. “My mother is thrilled now that we will be getting married in January next year,” he said.
Javeria said that though the journey was difficult, she could come to India with everyone’s support. “If the Indian government gives VISA to my parents then they can also come for my marriage. I have got visa for 45 days, will get married and do the needful after that. I am loving India and Sameer’s family,” she added.
Meanwhile Sameer’s mother Nusrat Khan said, “I am so happy, we will do all rituals in marriage. We will do Haldi and Sangeet. I have designed her Haldi outfit and it has all colours of India.”
Khan said his friends from his time in Germany from Africa, Spain, the United States and other countries are likely to attend his wedding. The couple then left to catch a flight from Amritsar to Kolkata.
In the recent past, several cross-border couples have been in the limelight. A Pakistani national Seema Haider crossed the International border via Nepal to marry a Noida-based Sachin Meena. In another instance, an Indian woman, Anju, went to Pakistan to marry her Facebook friend Nasrullah. However, Anju recently returned to India via the Wagah border.
(With PTI Inputs)
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