Lahore, April 21: The Lahore High Court on Friday directed the Interior Ministry to decide in three days the application of an Indian woman seeking Pakistani citizenship and extension to her visa after embracing Islam and marrying a local man during her visit here to attend the Baisakhi festival.
Kiran Bala (Amna Bibi), daughter of Manohar Lal from Hoshiarpur district, had arrived in Lahore by a special train on April 12 to take part in Baisakhi celebrations.
During her visit, she embraced Islam and married a resident of Hingerwal, Lahore, on April 16 at a ceremony held at an Islamic seminary here.
“Justice Jawadul Hasan has directed the interior ministry to decide the application of Amna Bibi seeking Pakistani nationality and visa extension by coming Monday,” a court official said.
He said the woman filed the petition in the HC through advocate Ijaz Ahmad. He said the judge also directed the woman and her Pakistani husband to appear in person before the ministry office in Islamabad on Monday.
Clad in a black gown and pink scarf and holding a “Tasbhi” in her hands, the woman appeared in the court along with her husband Mohammad Azam.
She pleaded the court that she had contracted marriage with Azam of Lahore with her consent as she was not coerced to do so.
“I want to live in Pakistan after marrying a Pakistani man. I am very happy here along with my husband and I do not want to go back. I have embraced Islam and my new name is Amna,” she said.
“I am now entitled to get citizenship of Pakistan under Section 10 (2) of the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951,” she said.
She also prayed the court to order interior ministry extend her visa so that she could live with her husband in Pakistan.
Talking to reporters on the court premises, Azam, who worked in Saudi Arabia, said he returned to the country to marry Kiran Bala. “We became friends on Facebook. And then we decided to marry,” he said.
There are reports that Kiran Bala’s first husband died in 2005. Her father said he was devastated by her step. “I knew about Kiran and Azam’s friendship, but had no idea that she would marry him on her visit to Pakistan,” he said.
Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
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