Sarabjit Kaur’s return to India stalled again, stopped at last moment after reaching Wagah border; reason revealed

Amritsar (The Uttam Hindu): The return of Indian Sikh woman Sarabjit Kaur from Pakistan to India has been delayed once again. All arrangements for her return through the Attari–Wagah international border were completed on Monday, but at the last moment, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry put the process on hold.

Indian agencies present at the border had to return without any outcome. Sarabjit Kaur is a resident of Kapurthala district in Punjab and had gone to Pakistan with a group of Sikh pilgrims. During the visit, she went missing. Later, it emerged that Sarabjit Kaur had converted to Islam, changed her name to Noor Hussain, and married a Pakistani national, Nasir Hussain. Following this, the matter turned into a legal dispute in Pakistan.

Recently, a local court in Pakistan directed that Sarabjit Kaur be sent back to India. Acting on the order, Pakistani police traced her and brought her to the Wagah border on Monday. Immigration and customs formalities were almost completed, and BSF and Integrated Check Post staff were present at the Attari border to receive her. However, during this process, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry issued orders to stop her transfer to India.

According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, Sarabjit Kaur converted her religion and married of her own free will. The ministry said the legal proceedings related to the case are still pending in court, and any decision on deportation will be taken only after a final verdict. For now, Sarabjit Kaur’s return to India has been postponed indefinitely.

It is noteworthy that Sarabjit Kaur and her husband Nasir Hussain were arrested on Sunday from Pakistan’s Nankana Sahib district. Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau had received information that the couple was living in the Pehre Wali village area. After a raid, both were handed over to Sadar Nankana Sahib police. In this case, some Pakistani lawyers had also filed a petition in court demanding Sarabjit Kaur’s deportation to India.