A Pakistani citizen named Seema Haider has filed a mercy petition with President Droupadi Murmu of India. Haider entered India in May without a visa and is now requesting to stay with her husband and four children in Greater Noida. She has also asked for an oral hearing from the president. The petition was filed on her behalf by A P Singh, a Supreme Court advocate, and was received by the president’s secretariat on Friday.
In the petition, Haider explains that she is in love with Sachin Meena, who lives in Greater Noida. She states that she converted to Hinduism and got married to Meena at a temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. Haider asks the president to show compassion to a woman who is not highly educated but has found happiness and purpose with her husband and his family.
A video has surfaced showing Haider apparently ill and receiving medical treatment. She claims to have met Meena while playing an online game in 2019-20 and they fell in love through communication on WhatsApp and Instagram. Haider entered India illegally with her four children on May 13 and was later arrested for illegal entry. Both Haider and Meena were granted bail and have been living together with her children in Greater Noida.
Despite an ongoing investigation into her illegal stay in India, Haider expresses her desire to remain in the country with Meena. She also claims to have converted to Hinduism. Pakistani intelligence agencies have reported that love was the main reason for Haider’s decision to enter India and live with a Hindu man she met online.