Karachi: Ghulam Haider, the first husband of Seema Haider, a Pakistani woman who illegally crossed into India with her four children in 2023 to be with her online lover, has urged the Indian government to help reunite him with his children. Haider, who was working in Saudi Arabia at the time of Seema’s departure, claims he has not seen his children since 2023 and is seeking custody.
Seema, 32, originally from Jacobabad in Sindh province, left her Karachi home with her children and entered India via Nepal in May 2023. Her relationship with Indian national Sachin Meena, 27, whom she met while playing the online game PUBG in 2019, drew widespread media attention. In July 2023, Indian authorities arrested both Seema and Sachin for illegal immigration and providing shelter to an undocumented individual, respectively. The couple was later released on bail.
In a video message released recently, Haider appealed directly to India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for justice. He claimed efforts to gain custody of his children began in late 2023 with the assistance of prominent Pakistani human rights lawyer Ansar Burney. “We hired an Indian lawyer, Ali Momin, and sent a power of attorney to initiate legal proceedings,” Burney confirmed in February last year, although it remains unclear if formal action has been taken in Indian courts.
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“It has been a year since the case is pending in court, and I have not seen my children since 2023,” Haider lamented in his message. He also accused Seema of trying to change their children’s names and religion. “She is forcibly converting them,” he alleged.
Seema, who now resides in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, with Sachin, has embraced Hinduism and insists she will not return to Pakistan. In an earlier interview with the BBC, she confirmed her religious conversion and stated that her children had also adopted Hinduism. Additionally, in a recent Instagram post, she announced that she is expecting a child with Sachin.
Seema Haider, a mother of four childrens,who is living illegally in India, appealed to the Indian government by her husband Ghulam Haider. @AmitShah @DrSJaishankar @PMOIndia @GovtofPakistan @MohsinnaqviC42 @zoo_bear @BBCUrdu @AJEnglish @VOANews pic.twitter.com/EvCQnjKOXx
— Shahid Hussain (@ShahidHussainJM) January 17, 2025
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