06-14-2006, 05:21 AM
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/14/20060614_15.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Indian girlâs Internet wedding to Pakistani:
Ayeshaâs Pakistani visa subject to security clearance
* Marriage between Indian woman and Pakistani man could spell trouble, says Interior Ministry official
By Hina Butt
LAHORE: Khalid Mumtaz and Ayeshaâs (an Indian Hindu who converted to Islam recently) could spell trouble for Hindus and Muslims because of the difference in tradition and culture of India and Pakistan, said Maqsood Akhtar, an Interior Ministry section officer.
Maqsood, who deals with citizenship at the Interior Ministry, told Daily Times that the Foreign Office had no objection to issuing Ayesha a visa to Pakistan if security agencies agreed. Commenting on the marriage sarcastically, he said that Mughal Emperor Akbar had made a âsimilar errorâ by marrying Hindu women who disclosed his secrets.
Criticising Indian movies, the officer said there was no love between the couple, in fact the marriage was a result of the âfeverâ spread by Indian movies. Telling Daily Times to refer to history before printing such stories, he said Muslims and Hindus were poles apart and they could never live together.
When Maqsood was contacted later for details of agencies supposed to give the couple clearance, his colleague Iqbal Siddique said that Maqsood had been transferred to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Maqsood was contacted thrice at his new office, but he was not available for comment.
Allah Buksh Malik, deputy secretary of the Interior Ministry, said that if the coupleâs nikah had been registered in Pakistan, the Interior Ministry would have no objection to Ayesha entering Pakistan. He said security agencies could get involved in such cases, but the couple would not be bothered if their status was legal in Pakistan.
Explaining the citizenship law in Pakistan, senior advocate Asad Jamal told Daily Times that according to the Naturalisation Act 1926 (Clause C), Section 3, if a Pakistani man married a foreign woman, she wuld have to stay in Pakistan for four years, and not leave Pakistan in the last 12 months if she wanted to become a Pakistani national, he added.
Mumtaz and Asha Patel (now Ayesha Mumtaz) however said they would take action against Pakistani visa authorities if the bridegroomâs visa got rejected for a third time.
Mumtaz and Ayeshaâs love affair started five years ago over the Internet. They married recently over the telephone after Asha (a Bombay based girl) converted to Islam. âMy love for my wife made her change her religion,â Mumtaz said. âShe is now my wife and nobody can stop her from entering Pakistan,â Mumtaz told Daily Times on Monday.
He said his marriage should be seen as a people-to-people contact with India because he had never discussed politics with Ayesha over the five long years of chatting. Mumtaz said his marriage should be considered an effort to improve relations with India.
Ayeshaâs brother-in-law had threatened to divorce her sister because of her marriage, he said, adding that Ayeshaâs father was also pressing her not to convert to Islam.
He said the government had denied Ayesha a visa on the basis that she had no relatives in Pakistan. Huge iron gates divided the couple when they first saw each other at the Wagah Border. They decided to marry each other soon after the first meeting.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...4-6-2006_pg13_7
<img src='http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2006/06/14/20060614_15.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Indian girlâs Internet wedding to Pakistani:
Ayeshaâs Pakistani visa subject to security clearance
* Marriage between Indian woman and Pakistani man could spell trouble, says Interior Ministry official
By Hina Butt
LAHORE: Khalid Mumtaz and Ayeshaâs (an Indian Hindu who converted to Islam recently) could spell trouble for Hindus and Muslims because of the difference in tradition and culture of India and Pakistan, said Maqsood Akhtar, an Interior Ministry section officer.
Maqsood, who deals with citizenship at the Interior Ministry, told Daily Times that the Foreign Office had no objection to issuing Ayesha a visa to Pakistan if security agencies agreed. Commenting on the marriage sarcastically, he said that Mughal Emperor Akbar had made a âsimilar errorâ by marrying Hindu women who disclosed his secrets.
Criticising Indian movies, the officer said there was no love between the couple, in fact the marriage was a result of the âfeverâ spread by Indian movies. Telling Daily Times to refer to history before printing such stories, he said Muslims and Hindus were poles apart and they could never live together.
When Maqsood was contacted later for details of agencies supposed to give the couple clearance, his colleague Iqbal Siddique said that Maqsood had been transferred to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Maqsood was contacted thrice at his new office, but he was not available for comment.
Allah Buksh Malik, deputy secretary of the Interior Ministry, said that if the coupleâs nikah had been registered in Pakistan, the Interior Ministry would have no objection to Ayesha entering Pakistan. He said security agencies could get involved in such cases, but the couple would not be bothered if their status was legal in Pakistan.
Explaining the citizenship law in Pakistan, senior advocate Asad Jamal told Daily Times that according to the Naturalisation Act 1926 (Clause C), Section 3, if a Pakistani man married a foreign woman, she wuld have to stay in Pakistan for four years, and not leave Pakistan in the last 12 months if she wanted to become a Pakistani national, he added.
Mumtaz and Asha Patel (now Ayesha Mumtaz) however said they would take action against Pakistani visa authorities if the bridegroomâs visa got rejected for a third time.
Mumtaz and Ayeshaâs love affair started five years ago over the Internet. They married recently over the telephone after Asha (a Bombay based girl) converted to Islam. âMy love for my wife made her change her religion,â Mumtaz said. âShe is now my wife and nobody can stop her from entering Pakistan,â Mumtaz told Daily Times on Monday.
He said his marriage should be seen as a people-to-people contact with India because he had never discussed politics with Ayesha over the five long years of chatting. Mumtaz said his marriage should be considered an effort to improve relations with India.
Ayeshaâs brother-in-law had threatened to divorce her sister because of her marriage, he said, adding that Ayeshaâs father was also pressing her not to convert to Islam.
He said the government had denied Ayesha a visa on the basis that she had no relatives in Pakistan. Huge iron gates divided the couple when they first saw each other at the Wagah Border. They decided to marry each other soon after the first meeting.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...4-6-2006_pg13_7