Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who crossed international borders to be with a man from Noida said that she would rather slit her throat or consume poison than return to her homeland in an interview to BBC Hindi.
Seema, who hails from the Sindh province in Pakistan, fell in love with Greater Noida's Sachin Meena over the online gaming platform PUBG. She later crossed multiple international borders illegally, to live with Sachin.
Seema doesn't want to return to Pakistan
In the interview Seema says, "No one has brought me to India by persuasion, I have come here on my own free will for the sake of love." She cited the stringent rules for women back in Pakistan and a possible threat to her life, as reasons for not wanting to go back.
When asked about her family back home, an emotional Seema sent the message, "I love you" to her sister. She says that she remembers her homeland fondly but does not wish to return.
On July 4, Seema was arrested for illegally entering India with her children. Sachin was arrested for sheltering illegal immigrants. On Saturday Seema and Sachin walked out of prison on bail. Seema has 4 children with Gulam Haider, who are all under the age of seven.
Gulam Haider's video message to Indian government
Seema's husband, Gulam Haider, who is working in Saudi Arabia, had appealed via a video message to the Indian government to help him reunite with his wife. In the video, he says that he got to know that his wife and children were in Noida, through the Indian media.
Seema had claimed discord with Gulam and has made it clear that she doesn't wish to return to Pakistan. In the interview with BBC, Seema reveals that her marriage to Gulam was a forced one and at a very young age.
The court in Jewar which granted them bail and has instructed Seema to continue living with Sachin and not change the residential address, for as long as the case against her continues.
Seema and Sachin's love story
Seema and Sachin met for the first time at Kathmandu in Nepal where they secretly got married. Later she went back to Pakistan where she sold a plot for Pakistani rupees 12 lakh and arranged for flight tickets for her children and her, reported the Print.
Sachin, 23, works in a Kirana (grocery) store and earns around ₹13000 per month. When questioned whether she and her kids would be able to survive on that meagre income, she says, "He respects me and loves my children. That is more than sufficient. What is the point in living with a rich person who doesn't respect you?"
Reacting to the Pakistan government asking for consular access, she said, "I will reject the offer and not return. I am 27 years old and capable of deciding for myself. I will try to get the divorce procedures done from India itself."
Seema's reply on forced conversion rumours
Amid controversies spiking up about her decision to embrace Hinduism, she says, "I converted to Hinduism on my own free will, because my husband (Sachin) is a Hindu. Unlike what Gulam claims in his video, nobody forced me to do so." She has named her children Raj, Priyanka, Pari, and Munni.
According to a report in the Quint, Sachin and his parents have happily accepted Seema and her children. Sachin's parents are even planning an official marriage function for the couple, in the Hindu way.
She also dispelled rumours of being a Pakistani spy. She commented that she is not even educated enough. She also said that she and her 4 children are happy and content in Sachin's home in India. "We get to live only once. So, I chose to love."