Indian woman, who was married at gunpoint in Pakistan, arrives home; 'welcome daughter', tweets EAM Sushma Swaraj

Uzma, an Indian woman, who was allegedly forced to marry a Pakistani man at gunpoint, will return home on Thursday after she was granted permission by the Islamabad High Court to leave.

Islamabad: Uzma, an Indian woman, who was allegedly forced to marry a Pakistani man at gunpoint, arrived home on Thursday, a day after she was granted permission by the Islamabad High Court to leave.

Following the Islamabad high court order, Uzma was escorted to the Wagah Border with police security.

She was received by the BSF officials at the Indian side of the Wagah Border. 

Wasim Ahmad, brother of Uzma, said the Indian government had done more than expected for Uzma, who got permission from the Islamabad High Court to return to India.

He also said that the Indian Embassy treated Uzma with full care. She took shelter in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on May 5, 2017.

He added that he had no words to thank the government, Swaraj, and Indian High Commission in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, EAM Sushma Swaraj welcomed Uzma with a tweet and regretted the harship which she had to face.

Uzma - Welcome home India's daughter. I am sorry for all that you have gone through. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2017

The order was passed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani after hearing the pleas filed by Uzma, a doctor by profession, and Pakistani national Tahir Ali. 

While Uzma had requested to be repatriated to India, Ali had asked to be allowed to meet his wife.

The HC had assured Uzma, who hails from New Delhi, that she was free to return to India at any point and would be escorted to the Wagah Border with police security.

The court also returned her the immigration papers which she had said was taken away by Ali, who had submitted the documents yesterday after being told by the court to do so.

Ali, dejected at the order, told PTI that the high court allowed "his wife" to go back.

"She has been allowed to return and I am unhappy because my point of view was not heard."

Justice Kayani also ordered the police to escort her to to the Wagah Border crossing between India and Pakistan.

The judge asked Uzma if she wanted to meet Ali in his chamber but she refused.

"I had asked to meet her for two minutes but I was not allowed," Ali added.

Some reports said Uzma once collapsed in the court during the hearing and paramedics were called in to treat her.

Uzma had petitioned the court on May 12 with the request and had submitted a medical report, showing that her daughter was suffering from thalassemia - an inherited blood disorder characterised by abnormal hemoglobin production - and she urgently needed to return to India.

Uzma and Ali reportedly met in Malaysia and fell in love, after which she travelled to Pakistan on May 01 via the Wagah Border. The two contracted nikkah (marriage) on May 03 in the remote Buner district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Later, she came to Islamabad and took refuge in the Indian High Commission, alleging she was forced to marry him at gunpoint.

Ali rejected the allegations and expressed his desire to work out their relationship. "She is still my wife. Neither she has asked for divorce nor I have divorced her."

According to the law in Pakistan, her lawyer can continue to represent her and she can come back to pursue the case. 

News agency ANI posted a video of Uzma arriving at the Wagah Border.

#WATCH Indian woman Uzma returns to India via Attari-Wagah border, she alleged she was forced to marry a Pakistani pic.twitter.com/x5FeEos6lS — ANI (@ANI_news) May 25, 2017

(With Agency inputs)