Islamabad - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday summoned the Indian national Dr Uzma to appear before the court in person on the next date of hearing in petitions related to her marriage issue with a Pakistani national.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani conducted hearing of the petitions of Tahir Ali and Uzma and directed the Indian woman to appear before the court on May 24 (tomorrow).
The court directed Secretariat police station to provide security to Uzma during her appearance before the court while it also directed Ali to submit immigration form of the Indian national before the court on May 23 (today).
During the hearing, Uzma’s counsel Barrister Shahnawaz Noon submitted medical report of his client’s daughter Falak Naz. According to the medical report, Naz is a patient of thalassemia and she is in critical condition.
Two officials of the Indian High Commission including First Secretary Piyush Singh and Lalit Kumar were also present in the court.
Pakistan foreign office submitted its written reply in the matter.
After hearing arguments, the court issued afore-mentioned directions and deferred the hearing till May 24 for further proceedings in this matter.
In the petition of Ali, a resident of Buner, the petitioner is seeking a meeting with his Indian wife Uzma who is currently living in the Indian High Commission at Islamabad.
On the other hand, Uzma through Indian High Commission also filed a petition in IHC alleging that Ali obtained her signature at Nikahnama (marriage contract) at gunpoint.
As per details, Pakistani Ali and Indian Uzma met in Malaysia. Later, they mutually decided to marry each other and after obtaining visa Uzma entered Pakistan and marriage ceremony was solemnised in Daggar, Buner.
In his petition, Ali has been seeking from the court to declare that both he and Uzma were legally husband and wife under the Sharia law and therefore have all the rights and duties toward each other and both cannot be denied access to each other on any pretext and consequently respondents be directed to allow the petitioner to meet his wife.
Ali sought court’s intervention to meet his wife in free atmosphere while alleging that Uzma reverted to her promises under pressure from his brother and officials of the Indian High Commission.
However, Uzma alleged that Ali forcefully married her at gunpoint, sexually assaulted and beather. She is seeking repatriation to India providing duplicate immigration sheets to her.
The Indian woman claiming she was forced to marry a Pakistani submitted her reply before the IHC.
In this regard, she had submitted her para-wise comments before the court and fully rejected the version of Ali and maintained that she had never agreed to turn her acquaintance into marriage.
Uzma in her reply to the IHC said that after she arrived in Pakistan through Wagah border, she was sternly and mercilessly deadened and sedated through sleeping pills and was sexually assaulted by the petitioner in connivance with his friends.
She also rejected Ali’s claim that she invited him to India for getting married. Uzma, however, said that she was thrashed, threatened to kill and badly humiliated and Ali forced her to sign the Nikahnama. Therefore, she prayed to the court to dismiss Ali’s petition.
She claimed that the petition of Ali was nothing but “jumble of lies.” She further said that the Indian High Commission has provided her with shelter and security till her safe return to India. She also denied any kind of pressure developed on her by the Indian High Commission.
