After Five Year Wait, Pak Woman Arrives In India To Marry Kolkata Man

Javeria Khanum from Dera Ismail, Pakistan, waited more than 5 years to marry her fiancé, Sameer Khan, a Kolkata resident, and she has finally arrived in India to tie the knot. She crossed the Attari-Wagah border on Tuesday and was welcomed by her fiancé and future father-in-law Ahmed Kamal Khan Yousafzai to the beats of 'dhol'. The couple was introduced in 2018 and waited for the Indian government to approve her visa as well as for the Covid pandemic to end so that Khanum could enter India and officiate their love.  

Khanum told Asian News International, "I am extremely happy and wish to convey my special thanks to the Government of India for granting me a stay here. We have been in a relationship for the past five years. We were trying to secure a visa for a long time and finally, it happened." 

Love Beyond Borders

Javeria Khanum and Sameer Khan were introduced by their parents for an arranged marriage in 2018. Khan had just returned to Kolkata from Germany where he was studying. When his mother showed him Khanum's picture on his phone, he immediately agreed to marry her, they told ANI. His mother sent the proposal to Khanum's mother in Pakistan, and their engagement was finalised.

However, the border between the countries made it difficult for them to immediately get married. The Indian High Commission rejected her visa twice, and then the COVID-19 pandemic further delayed her application. Meanwhile, Khan sent out several requests to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar to speed up her third application request.

Honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi and External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar please hear my story.

For Last 5 years me and my fiancée @JKhanam1408 have met only three times. Twice in Thailand and once in Dubai. She has applied visa to travel to India 3 times since last 2… pic.twitter.com/Aly8E3ST8D

— SAMEER KHAN (@SAMEER161097) November 9, 2023

Third Time's The Charm

Finally this time, Khanum's visa application went through and she arrived in India to unite with her lover. After years of waiting and only meeting on international trips, the couple has expressed immense gratitude to both governments for making this happen. They added, "I wish both governments introduce a special visa for couples who want to get married and help them. The security concerns are important, I respect that but there should be a special category," Khan said.