'No longer a Muslim': Seema Haider's neighbours, relative say don't want her back in Pakistan
"She should just send her children back to Pakistan. She can stay there. Now she is no longer even a Muslim,” said the 16-year-old son of the landlord in whose rented home Seema stayed with her children for the last three years before deciding to illegally enter India to be with her Hindu lover, according to the report
- Jul 16, 2023,
- Updated Jul 16, 2023 5:28 PM IST
Seema Ghulam Haider, a Pakistani mother of four who entered India illegally to live with a Hindu she met on an online gaming site, has been shunned by her relatives and neighbours for defying social norms. Seema Haider and Noida-based Sachin Meena met online while playing PUBG in 2019. Seema fell in love with Sachin and recently entered India illegally via Nepal with her four kids.
Last week, Seema's husband Gulam Haider appealed to the Indian government to send her back to Pakistan. However, Seema said she did not want to go back and she was happily married to Sachin. Now, Seema's neighbours and a relative have made it clear that they don't want her back in Pakistan, reported the news agency PTI.
"She should just send her children back to Pakistan. She can stay there. Now she is no longer even a Muslim,” said the 16-year-old son of the landlord in whose rented home Seema stayed with her children for the last three years before deciding to illegally enter India to be with her Hindu lover, according to the report.
Everyone in her area is still fascinated by the tale of how this mother of four, who is completely uneducated and her husband used to work overseas, had the guts to leave everything behind and enter India illegally in order to be with a much younger man. Her home is in the neighbourhood of Bhittaiabad, Katchi Abadi in the heart of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. It is a three-room portion of a building devoid of any paint and located in a narrow lane full of garbage and overflowing sewerage.
As soon as one reaches Seema’s house, one myth is broken that her husband, Ghulam Haider, who works in Saudi Arabia, brought her the house for Rs 1.2 million. "No, she was a tenant with us for three years with her children. She lived alone with her children. Her father-in-law lives some distance away from here,” Nur Muhammad, the landlord’s son, explained. Seema and Ghulam Haider had eloped 10 years back to Karachi and got married against the wishes of their parents.
"We saw her call a taxi and leave one day with her children and some bags and we thought she was going to her village in Jacobabad. But after nearly a month, when we heard about her escapade on TV channels, we were all shocked,” adds Jamal Jakhrani, an elderly man, who was her neighbour.
Jamal, who belongs to the same tribe that Seema and Ghulam Haider belong to, believes it is best for Seema to remain in India now. "If ever she thinks of coming back, she will not be forgiven by the tribe and secondly, her decision to stay with a Hindu has angered everyone now," Jamal said.
Mian Mithoo, a high-profile religious leader in rural Sindh, known for using his seminary to convert Hindu girls to Islam and even bandits, has openly threatened to punish Seema if she returns. His supporters have also threatened to attack Hindu worship places in Seema’s village, but SSP Kashmore-Kandhkot, Irfan Samoo, assured Hindus and Sikhs they would be protected.
Samoo, however, is puzzled by the whole case and has found anomalies in Seema’s documents and tale. "Her national identity card says she was born in 2002. So, she should be 21 years of age now, and yet she has four children all up to the age of 6 years," he said. Samoo also said the police have asked Ghulam Haider to return from Saudi Arabia but he has been in touch with them only on video or phone calls. Samoo is not convinced that a woman with a rural background would have the courage to plan her way to India via Dubai and Kathmandu.
(With inputs from PTI)
Seema Ghulam Haider, a Pakistani mother of four who entered India illegally to live with a Hindu she met on an online gaming site, has been shunned by her relatives and neighbours for defying social norms. Seema Haider and Noida-based Sachin Meena met online while playing PUBG in 2019. Seema fell in love with Sachin and recently entered India illegally via Nepal with her four kids.
Last week, Seema's husband Gulam Haider appealed to the Indian government to send her back to Pakistan. However, Seema said she did not want to go back and she was happily married to Sachin. Now, Seema's neighbours and a relative have made it clear that they don't want her back in Pakistan, reported the news agency PTI.
"She should just send her children back to Pakistan. She can stay there. Now she is no longer even a Muslim,” said the 16-year-old son of the landlord in whose rented home Seema stayed with her children for the last three years before deciding to illegally enter India to be with her Hindu lover, according to the report.
Everyone in her area is still fascinated by the tale of how this mother of four, who is completely uneducated and her husband used to work overseas, had the guts to leave everything behind and enter India illegally in order to be with a much younger man. Her home is in the neighbourhood of Bhittaiabad, Katchi Abadi in the heart of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. It is a three-room portion of a building devoid of any paint and located in a narrow lane full of garbage and overflowing sewerage.
As soon as one reaches Seema’s house, one myth is broken that her husband, Ghulam Haider, who works in Saudi Arabia, brought her the house for Rs 1.2 million. "No, she was a tenant with us for three years with her children. She lived alone with her children. Her father-in-law lives some distance away from here,” Nur Muhammad, the landlord’s son, explained. Seema and Ghulam Haider had eloped 10 years back to Karachi and got married against the wishes of their parents.
"We saw her call a taxi and leave one day with her children and some bags and we thought she was going to her village in Jacobabad. But after nearly a month, when we heard about her escapade on TV channels, we were all shocked,” adds Jamal Jakhrani, an elderly man, who was her neighbour.
Jamal, who belongs to the same tribe that Seema and Ghulam Haider belong to, believes it is best for Seema to remain in India now. "If ever she thinks of coming back, she will not be forgiven by the tribe and secondly, her decision to stay with a Hindu has angered everyone now," Jamal said.
Mian Mithoo, a high-profile religious leader in rural Sindh, known for using his seminary to convert Hindu girls to Islam and even bandits, has openly threatened to punish Seema if she returns. His supporters have also threatened to attack Hindu worship places in Seema’s village, but SSP Kashmore-Kandhkot, Irfan Samoo, assured Hindus and Sikhs they would be protected.
Samoo, however, is puzzled by the whole case and has found anomalies in Seema’s documents and tale. "Her national identity card says she was born in 2002. So, she should be 21 years of age now, and yet she has four children all up to the age of 6 years," he said. Samoo also said the police have asked Ghulam Haider to return from Saudi Arabia but he has been in touch with them only on video or phone calls. Samoo is not convinced that a woman with a rural background would have the courage to plan her way to India via Dubai and Kathmandu.
(With inputs from PTI)