A woman from Kapurthala, who travelled to Pakistan as part of a religious group last year but stayed back after marriage and conversion, remains in a legal limbo, with her deportation to India delayed. Sarabjit Kaur, who now goes by Noor Hussain, was arrested on January 3 for overstaying her visa but has not yet been sent back across the border.
Arrest and Legal Hurdles
Sarabjit Kaur's planned repatriation faced an immediate setback. Initial reports from Pakistani media indicated the Wagah border closure on Monday evening and incomplete documentation as reasons for the delay. While authorities expected her to cross over on Tuesday, that did not materialise. The core issue lies in the Pakistani judicial system. The country's Ministry of Interior has stated that while the woman married of her own free will, the matter is now under judicial consideration. Necessary legal formalities must be completed, and she will only be sent to India after the court issues a final order.
From Pilgrimage to Personal Choice
The sequence of events that led to this international incident began on November 4, 2025. Sarabjit Kaur entered Pakistan from Amritsar via the Attari border. She was part of a large Sikh jatha of 1,932 members visiting the country to observe the Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev. The group was issued a 10-day single-entry religious visa, with a mandatory return date set for November 13. However, Kaur did not return with the group. During her stay, she married Pakistani national Nasir Hussain, a man she had reportedly met online. As part of this union, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Noor Hussain.
Security Concerns and a Pending Decision
The case took a serious turn when Pakistani Sikh leader Mahinder Pal Singh filed a petition seeking Kaur's arrest and deportation. In his appeal, he described her as a potential threat to national security, suggesting she could be involved in suspicious activities. Pakistani authorities arrested her for overstaying her visa and visiting unauthorised locations. The matter remains pending a final decision from the courts. This story echoes a previous case from 2017 involving Indian national Uzma, who claimed she was married at gunpoint in Pakistan. Uzma's return prompted a strong response from the then External Affairs Minister, the late Sushma Swaraj, who welcomed "India's daughter" home on social media platform X.
As the legal machinery in Pakistan grinds on, Sarabjit Kaur's fate hangs in the balance, caught between allegations of security risks, personal choice, and complex cross-border regulations.
