Over the years, India and Pakistan have engaged in wars, diplomatic tug of wars, sometimes dialogues, and most of the time on the cricket field.
Any engagement between the two neighbouring countries has always grabbed eyeballs and made headlines. But this time a unique wedding ceremony has again brought the ties between the two nations into the spotlight. The incident pertains to the wedding ceremony in the Uttar Pradesh district, where the son of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader married a girl from Pakistan through an online “nikah.”
According to media reports, Tahseen Shahid, a BJP corporator, fixed the marriage of his elder son, Mohammad Abbas Haider, with Andleep Zahra, who is a resident of Lahore. The groom failed to obtain a visa despite applying for it due to the ongoing political tensions between the two nations.
The situation became even worse when the bride’s mother, Rana Yasmin Zaidi, fell ill and was admitted to the ICU in Pakistan, as per media reports. In the wake of the prevailing circumstances, Shahid took a unique decision. He decided to conduct the wedding ceremony online.
On Friday night, Shahid gathered with the “baraati” at an imambara and took part in the online “nikah.” The family of the bride participated in the wedding ceremony from Lahore.
Shia religious leader Maulana Mahfoozul Hasan Khan elaborated that in Islam, the woman’s consent is essential for “nikah,” and she communicates it to the maulana. He stated that an online “nikah” is possible when the maulanas from both sides can conduct the ceremony together.
Haider exuded hope that his wife would get her Indian visa without any hassle. The wedding ceremony saw the presence of BJP MLC Brijesh Singh Prishu and other guests who congratulated the groom’s family.
This was however not the first cross-border love story that garnered eyeballs in recent years. A few cases of cross-border love surfaced last year, which kept everyone hooked. The year 2023 added a new chapter to this long history of ties between India and Pakistan.
While one story had a bride from Pakistan, Seema, who arrived in India with her children to live with her Indian husband, Sachin, in Delhi-NCR. In the other such story, an Indian woman, Anju, crossed the border to be with her Pakistani beau, Nasrullah, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
