LOWER DIR: Anju, an Indian woman, who arrived in Upper Dir to meet with her ‘friend’ Nasrullah, solemnised a court marriage on Tuesday, official sources told Dawn.

Anju, aged 35 and a mother of two, arrived in Pakistan from Rajasthan last week to meet Nasrullah, who she befriended on Facebook.

She first converted to Islam and changed her name to Fatima, following which the couple was brought to the district courts, where a judge recorded her statement and solemnised the nikah, a copy of which was seen by Dawn.

In her statement, Anju said she visited Nasrullah, 29, of her own free will and was pleased to marry him.

According to locals, the couple was brought to court under strict security and hurriedly left after nikah and were not allowed to interact with the media. Later, they visited the scenic Lowari Top area.

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A video of the couple at the mountain top also went viral on social media.

Police providing security, say Anju has all relevant travel documents

Upper Dir District Police Officer Mushtaq Khan told local journalists that Anju had all her relevant travel documents.

“We are providing security to the Indian lady to ensure no untoward incident takes place that brings a bad name to the country”, the DPO said.

Earlier on Monday, Ms Anju had requested the media not to disturb or harass her relatives and children in India as her return was in process and she will go back in two or three days.

In a 40-second video message, she clarified that she had legally travelled to Pakistan.

“I want to give a message to all that I have come here after careful planning,” she said, adding that she didn’t make up her mind about the trip in a day or two.

She continued that she was safe and had faced no difficulties in Dir.

“I am coming back in two or three days,” she said, adding that those who wish to contact her can do it online.

According to reports in Indian media, Anju has a 15-year-old girl and a six-year-old son with her ex-husband Arvind Kumar, whom she married in 2007.

Her new husband, Nasrullah, works as a medical representative in a pharmaceutical company, according to locals.

Anju’s case has been in the spotlight as it emerged weeks after Seema Ghulam Haider, a woman from Pakistan, illegally entered India with her four children after falling in love with a man in the Greater Noida bordering New Delhi.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2023