Indian Pilgrim Converts to Islam, Marries Pakistani Citizen; Lawyer Says Act Was Voluntary

LAHORE, Pakistan (Nazrana Times) Ali Imran Chattha 
 

An Indian Sikh pilgrim who embraced Islam and married a Pakistani man during a religious visit acted entirely of her own free will, a Lahore-based lawyer who solemnized the marriage said on Monday.
Sarbjit Kaur, who took the Muslim name Noor after converting, married Farooqabad resident Nasir Hussain on Nov. 5 in the chamber of High Court lawyer Ahmad Hasan Pasha. Speaking to journalists in Sheikhupura, Pasha said the bride accepted Islam voluntarily and the marriage was conducted without any pressure or inducement.

Pasha added that a full video of the ceremony exists as evidence, and that Noor recorded an affidavit before a local magistrate, while the marriage papers were submitted to Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Khalid Warraich. Hussain is married and a father of three, but the couple had been in contact through social media for an extended period, he said.
He said visa and immigration matters fall under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that his professional responsibility was limited to providing legal protection to his client. The bride had arrived in Pakistan as part of a Sikh pilgrimage marking the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.