Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

INDIAN WOMAN FORCED TO MARRY IN PAK TO RETURN

- Imtiaz Ahmad letters@hindustant­imes.com

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad high court allowed on Wednesday an Indian woman, who has sought refuge at the Indian mission here after accusing a Pakistani man of forcibly marrying her, to return to India, a media report said. Uzma had travelled to Pakistan earlier this month. She had said that a Pakistani national “forced” her to marry him at gun point.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad high court on Wednesday allowed Uzma Ahmed, an Indian national who said she had been forced into marrying a Pakistani man, to go back to her country.

Ahmed, in her early twenties, told the court she was forced to marry Tahir Ali, a resident of Buner in Khyber-Pakhtunkhw­a province, at gun point after she agreed to come to Pakistan.

The court assured Ahmed she was free to return to India and would be escorted to the Wagah border with police security.

Soon after the hearing, Ahmed left the court for the Indian high commission, where she will stay until arrangemen­ts are made for her to repatriati­on. Sources said Ahmed, a resident of New Delhi, could be repatriate­d as early as Thursday.

In her comments, Ahmed reiterated through her lawyer that she had been “terribly beaten… tortured physically and mentally and forced to sign on the nikahnama” by Ali. She also reiterated that she had been given sleeping pills by Ali, who sexually assaulted her .

Ali had sought court’s interventi­on to meet Ahmed in “a free atmosphere,” claiming she had recorded her statement under “duress and pressure”.

 ??  ?? Uzma Ahmed
Uzma Ahmed

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