After several unexpected twists, Seema Haider-mystery on Friday took another turn with the Pakistani national writing to President Murmu, seeking Indian citizenship. The development comes amidst several new revelations about the 30-year-old woman from Sindh who crossed over to India in May to be with her lover in Greater Noida.
In her petition, seeking permission to stay in India, Haider claims that she is deeply influenced by Indian culture and traditions. Meanwhile, intensive efforts are on, with growing clamor asking for her to be deported to Pakistan.
Meanwhile the duo was given medical assistance after both Seema and her husband Sachin Meena fell ill on Saturday morning. Reportedly, a lawyer has also reached their house in Greater Noida.
But who is Seema Haider?
That is not the only concerning question raised by the Pakistani national identified as Seema Ghulam Haider, resident of Jacobabad, ever since she hit the nation's headlines on July 4 when the police arrested her. The Pakistani woman had not just entered India illegally via Nepal with her four children but had been staying with her partner Sachin Meena in Greater Noida.
How she entered India?
Haider reportedly met Sachin Meena through online game PUBG in 2019. Their online encounter on the gaming platform led to lengthy chats over Whatsapp and reportedly, the two eventually fell in love. After Seema entered India via Nepal, the two started living together in Greater Noida's Rabpura area. Police also arrested Sachin and his father for allegedly sheltering illegal migrants. Seema is married to a Pakistani national who works in Dubai.
Heavily under the radar of teams from Intelligence Bureau (IB) and ATS (anti-terrorism squad), she was recently exhaustively interrogated for her spy links. As per several new revelations about her kin, Haider's brother and uncle re speculated to be in the Pakistan Army. However, Haider denied this during the interrogation and said that her brother was preparing to join the Pakistan Army.
During the interrogation on July 18, Haider reportedly failed to answer questions pertaining to her entering India illegally. However, both Sachin and Seema claim they met in Nepal in March this year and got married there. Two months later, Seema crossed over with her four children.
"All agencies are doing their work. This matter is linked to two nations, it is not right to say anything unless there is sufficient proof. She had once been to jail and is now on bail. Further action is being taken," Prashant Kumar, special director general (law and order), Uttar Pradesh Police was quoted as saying by ANI. Meanwhile, the IB has sought a report from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the central force guarding the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
What the police knows, so far
After being questioned for two days by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad, the police said they recovered five Pakistan-authorized passports, an unused passport, an I-card, four mobile phones and two video cassettes. Within three days of being arrested, all the accused got out on bail.
As per a note from the office of UP director general of police, Hiader left Pakistan for the second time on May 10 on a 15-day tourist visa. "She reached the Karachi airport with four children. From Karachi, she went to Dubai and then early morning, the next day, she left for Kathmandu. She took a public transport van and reached Pokhara, Nepal in the evening. She stayed in Pokhara for a night in a hotel (under whose name, she does not remember)," added the note.
As per the officials, on March 12 morning, Seema Haider took a bus from Pokhara and entered India via the Rupandehi-Khunwa border, Siddharthnagar district. She came to Rabupura, in Gautam Buddha Nagar via Lucknow and Agra, where Sachin Meena had already rented a room."
Questions that remain unanswered
Angry speculations and noise grew over UP's anti terror squad recovers multiple passports, five Pakistan-authorized passports and one unused and four mobile phones from her. "How difficult it is throw an illegal migrant back to their country," questioned a social media user.
While another one asked, "If someone is on the radar of IB and ATS, how can they simply get bail in three days?" Many questioned how she could fund her four children, find time to play online games, enter the country illegally, get bail immediately if she wasn't sponsored by both internal and external forces.
