ISLAMABAD: An Indian woman who has sought refuge at the Indian mission here petitioned the Islamabad High Court today to provide security for her journey back to Delhi and to issue duplicate travel documents which were allegedly stolen by her Pakistani husband.
Uzma’s lawyer, Malik Shah Nawaz Noon and First Secretary to the Indian High Commission Piyush Singh filed the petition on her behalf in the IHC stating that her husband Tahir Ali had deceived her as he was already married, and that he stole her passport and other travel documents.
She has alleged that she was sexually abused after her forced marriage to a Pakistani man at gunpoint.
In her statement, recorded before a magistrate, Uzma has said that she came to Pakistan to see her relatives and not to marry Ali. She has said she did not know Ali was already married and had four children.
However, Ali said she knew about his marriage and children. He said he had told her about his family and that he lived in mountains away from the main cities.
Uzma, 20, has been staying at the Indian mission in Islamabad and refused to leave the High Commission premises until she is repatriated to India.
The petition sought security for her journey back to India via the Wagah border and requested that her husband is restrained from harassing her, the Dawn reported.
It also sought an exemption on Uzma reporting to the police and requested her repatriation to India.
Uzma in her request claimed, “My five-year-old daughter Falak is ill, and I have to meet her.”
“Tahir deceived me and forced me to marry him at gunpoint. He even stole my passport and travelling documents,” she said.
“I urge the court to ask the Foreign Office to issue duplicate travel documents so that I may travel back to India,” the application stated.
The request also asked the court to hold a hearing regarding the matter immediately.
Uzma, a resident of New Delhi, on May 8 filed a plea with a Islamabad court against Ali, alleging that she was being harassed and intimidated by him.
Earlier this week, the Foreign Office (FO) said Uzma would only be repatriated back to her homeland once all her legal requirements were completed.
She has said she did not know Ali was already married and had four children.
Uzma reached Pakistan on May 1 and travelled to Buner district in the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to marry Ali on May 3. The couple reportedly met in Malaysia, where Tahir worked as a taxi-driver.
The case has attracted attention on both sides of the border.
Yesterday, Tahir had pleaded the High Court here for a meeting with his wife to clear all “misunderstandings”.
PTI