An Indian who moved to Pakistan

[DarK-LorD]

Pakistan girl marries an Indian
Last Updated: Friday, March 12, 2010, 17:39

Islamabad: A Pakistani girl has said "I do" to an Indian boy in the restive north-western city of Peshawar, giving a fillip to people-to-people contacts between the two neighbouring countries.

Syeda Imara, daughter of Pakistani journalist Syed Shakeel Ahmed, recently married Lucknow-based Mohammad Khalid, whose family is close to the ruling Congress party of India.

The families of the newly-wed couple want peace between the two countries.

"I have given my daughter’s hand to an Indian boy with the hope that people-to-contacts will help improve the relationship between the two rival countries," Ahmed told the Daily Times newspaper at a reception hosted in Peshawar Press Club for the couple.

The bride's mother, Kishwar Sultana, hoped both countries will resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue.

"We want a good relationship with the people of Pakistan. We also want friendship between the two countries," Sultana said.

Khalid said he felt completely at home in Pakistan. His brother Sarfaraz admitted he was fearful of crossing the border, but said he was enjoying his time in Pakistan and did not feel like a stranger at all.

PTI

http://zeenews.**********/news/south-asia/pakistan-girl-marries-an-indian_610671.html

 

[Awesome]

In most countries there ARE special rights given to people who have close family in the other country. Usually in such cases the visa has to be applied for within India by the father/mother for their daughter or conversely if she is inviting the parents.

Usually if you want to visit UAE its also some what of tedious process if you apply from your own country. But if you have a family member (immediate family) then he/she can get the thing done in 1 hr.

Its all about building your processes. I've seen Iranians get their US visas in 2-5 working days if every thing is in place. Security risk is a valid issue, but it shouldn't be used as an excuse for lack of processing capabilities. IF you're going to forward each application to the agencies then you must have relevant automated systems in place to filter names out of what is called a Suspicious designated nationals (SDN) list and you forward the applications only where you have a match. You put this interface right on the desk of the visa processor.

I really feel sorry for this Pakistani woman who has already suffered this for 20 years. I hope both the governments respectively improve their visa processing capabilities.

I can't imagine it being better at any of the Pakistani embassies. If you've been to one (and I mean anyone) you know what a joke they are. Fish bazaar's are better processed and organized. Pakistanisms are exploding there. Getting your MRP is a month long process for Pakistanis, its probably horrendously bad for foreigners - especially Indians to process visas.

But these are government appointees. The issue is that these are workers with some political connection with minimal education. This would require massive top-down change for anything to happen.

 

[ARIZ ZAFAR]

i agree with you Asim.You know it sometime it really hurts people and and young population is still stuck with india. every single time i will be read it will india. bhaijaan they are on their own way to development. but we are still stuck by our mindset. does even anybody in this forum have any plans how are they going to serve our country. bhaijaan china naa aa riya humarey liye..humein khud apna jaahan roshan karna hai..where is the will power in pakistani to do something for the nation..bhai hum kiya kar rahein hain??

 

[livingdead]

India discriminates pakistanis and bangladeshis when granting visa. There is no way to hide it, because most of the rules specifically written so.
If you are a citizen of western country but of pakistani descent, your visa will take longer than usual. The case has to be sent to India usually.
I agree there is a lot of bureaucracy while issuing visa, but they cannot make special case unless there is a law stating so.

After mumbai, India even cracked down on western tourists, it is not easy anymore to visit India and stay on for years, like they used to do.
http://www.indiamike.com/india/indi...for-us-citizens-of-pakistani-origins-t109883/
http://www.indiamike.com/india/indian-visa-and-passport-questions-f9/

 

[Punjabbi Munda]

Reading the comments below made by Indians on the ET blog piece was even more interesting. Without even experiencing Pakistan besides listening to Indian TV, they really think Pakistan is Afghanistan, & India is some Western country. I know many Indian women that have become Pakistani citizens, & they thank their lucky stars everyday that they don't have to live in India anymore.

I know many Pakistani patients who have chosen to settle in India as they lack good medical facilities in Pakistan.
Trust me they have been given a new life here.

 

[anonymus]

Well in summary this happened

1.A pakistani write a blog saying that India is not their prime enemy.

2.The mullah brigade goes into action and finds a self-righteous bigot to write a blog saying india is evil for following reasons

a.India follows same procedure towards all the pakistanis applying for visa.
b.India does not provide special facilities for her even though she is
i.An Ex Indian
ii.Graduate of a prestigious medical college
iii.Has secular parent
iv.Has lived in Delhi for 24 years
c.India does not recognise her superiority over those " inferior beings " that visit because someone from their family is separated by partition,those visiting distance cousins or virtual friend connected by facebook and twitter.

3.Pakistanis predictably goes nuts towards this blasphemy and states this as another transgression of evil-yindoo India.

Now that brings us to a question as to what India should do

Should we start two instead of one line.One where those "Inferior pakistanis" whose treatment according to this lady is justified and another for superior beings like her for whom procedure need not be followed?

Would Pakistanis want that?

Do they want that their citizens should not be treated unequally by a foreign embassy because if complains of this lady are paid heed to then it is only going to happen ?

There seems a fad among south asians that they want special treatment everwhere.can't say about pakistani but i would on any day prefer equality over special treatment

 

[Indrajith]

it is sad but it is truth, if she had married a white man from USA , she may not need to wait for visa as long as this, but as she had married our neighbour, she has to wait.. this the true story of every house hold now, we do not love our neighbours, but we feel love to far ones.

However without indian and pakistan getting closer, there is no way to reduce your waiting & hiccups-- best of luck

 

[JayAtl]

This is my mother's story, born & raised Indian, but surrendered her citizenship & became Pakistani in 1979 when she married my Dad. She has no regrets about it either. She loved it here in Karachi & Islamabad, & she calls Karachi her home. My grandmother (recently) & grandfather have passed away, so my mother has less urgency to visit India now. But she visited India many times when they were living, & my grandparents & my mother's siblings visited Pakistan a few times as well. It is generally much easier for an Indian to get Pakistani citizenship than vice versa. My mother got her citizenship in less than a year I believe, but if a Pakistani woman marries an Indian, it takes many many years, & you might still not get citizenship, only a visit visa.

I agree with you, both the woman in the article and your mother are still Indian, they are Pakistani on their citizenship paper, but their blood,ties and loyalty is still to India, thus no security risk ... these people should NOT have to go through such hassles.

Infact I dare say- if these folks belonged / participated on forums, they would have the same signature as you used to have only slightly changed " Hardcore Indian" or your current one" if you talk crap about India, don't expect any roses from me ....."

 

[ajtr]

Call me an Indian Pakistani

I recently wrote a blog post titled ‘An Indian who moved to Pakistan‘. The response I got – positive and negative – is much appreciated. It inspired me to write this piece about my dream of a world without borders and wars.

Before I begin, however, I want to make clear that I do not have any desire to undermine the sovereign and political borders between India and Pakistan or between any other countries. My dream is to erase the psychological borders that are etched in our minds in the shape of prejudices and hatred towards the other.

So I’ll get to the point: to all those people who expressed sympathy over my visa issues, please don’t feel sorry for me. I feel extremely privileged to have ties to two beautiful countries, Pakistan and India.

So what if I do not have an Indian passport?

I have 24 years of precious memories sealed in my heart as an Indian, memories that can never be erased. I am not Pakistani because of my passport alone, but because of the love and respect that I have received from numerous Pakistanis, who took no time to accept me as one of their own. I belong to both lands and a good 1.4 billion people are my fellow compatriots. How lucky am I?

I am as passionate about the happenings of the Lokpal bill as I do about the NRO debate. Last year, at the cricket World Cup, I got to support not one, but two teams. Whenever there is an India-Pakistan match, unlike the other billion and a half who dread a bad result, I rejoice. I feel like a winner when either of them wins.

I find absolute tranquillity in the Sufi poetry of Bulleh Shah, and at the same time, I am able to drown in the depths of Kabir Dohas. Moreover, I knew what Kareem’s nalli nihari in Delhi tasted like before it began its journey abroad and ended up as Sabri’s maghaz nihari in Karachi. In addition to this, I can put together an outfit comprising of a Kanjeevaram silk sari and a Sindhi mirror-embroidered bag. When I go out, I can flaunt both as my national handicrafts.

To those who ridiculed or criticised me, please shed the word ‘hate’ from your dictionaries and look beyond prejudice. Believe me, I am a witness to the reality that there are millions on both sides who want to live in peace with their neighbours.

We have seen first-hand how hatred leads to conflict, how conflict leads to instability, and how instability leads to massive defence expenditures. We have already wasted immeasurable revenue, which could very well have been used for the alleviation of poverty, hunger, and illiteracy – problems that exist in astronomical proportions on both sides of the border.

We share ancestors, history, geography, and the same problems. Why should we allow the problems of a few in power to affect us on a global scale? A prosperous India is in Pakistan’s best interest, and a prosperous Pakistan is in India’s best interests.

Why should a handful of bigots sabotage the road to peace we need to take to reach the goal of prosperity? We need to support and love each other – we do not have another way out.

Think about it.

 

[risingsinga]

On a very subtle level, visas and passports are contraventions against the free movement of human beings. For centuries human moved free. And irony of today's so called global society is humans require documents.

Hi Lady,

I offer you a solution to get rid of this visa hassle...why don't you and your parents meet in a neutral place like Singapore or UAE etc. If you happen to visit Singapore, you and your family are welcome here.