National

Kashmiri's Marriage With Pakistani Bitters, Karachi Woman's Open Complaint Goes Viral

Pakistani woman living with her Srinagar husband after meeting on social networking site alleges domestic cruelty, leading to living separately

Kashmiri's Marriage With Pakistani Bitters, Karachi Woman's Open Complaint Goes Viral
info_icon

A Pakistani woman who married an Indian a decade ago following an intimacy that bloomed since their meeting on a social networking site has now complained of torture from her Kashmiri husband and his family바카라”a charge the husband denies in the wake of an open letter by the 바카라˜victim바카라™.

Karachi-born Mehnaz Siddiqui, 34, had stumbled upon Abdullah Danish Sherwani of Srinagar ten years ago on the now-defunct Orkut. They 바카라œinstantly바카라 fell in love바카라”and soon Sherwani, in 2009, visited Pakistan on a sponsored tour. The pair stayed together for a while even as Mehnaz had just completed LLB and post-graduation in international relations from the University of Karachi, while Sherwani had done his Master바카라™s in mass communication and journalism from the University of Kashmir.

According to Mehnaz, Sherwani expressed his desire to marry her. Today, in times of a bitter relation between the two, there is dispute over even that point: the husband says it was Mehnaz who approached him on Orkut and subsequently revealed his love for him. Sherwani, now employed as a liaison officer in University of Kashmir and sporting a flowing beard amid his simultaneous role as a guide with the state Hajj Committee during the pilgrim season, argues to the contrary and says the woman would initially send him religious messages.

Whatever, the duo had tied the nuptial in June 2009바카라”and moved to Kashmir. The marital relation had Mehnaz delivering three children, the youngest of whom died as an infant early this year owing to what the woman alleges was 바카라œmistreatment바카라 from her husband. As exasperation apparently grew on her, Mehnaz recently wrote an open letter on Sunday, alleging torture by Sherwani and his household.

The June 10 letter, which has gone viral, accuses Sherwani of having an extra-material affair and wanting to marry another woman. What바카라™s more, the husband tries to project her as a separatist so as to prompt the government to deport her from the Valley. Sherwani, on his part, did tweet to Rajnath Singh when the Union home minister visited the Valley last week, labelling Mehnaz as an anti-national and seeking an audience with the dignitary.

In fact, the University of Kashmir had instituted an inquiry after Sherwani had written to the National Investigative Agency and governor N.N. Vohra, who is the chancellor of the varsity, following his stating that Mehnaz was involved in 바카라œsecessionist activities바카라 on the campus. The probe result went against the husband. 바카라œWe conducted an inquiry and submitted a report a week ago. We didn바카라™t deal with charges of beating and torture, but we found the allegation of his wife being involved in the secessionist activities in the University as preposterous,바카라 says a senior official of the university. The inquiry, headed by Prof Muhammad Ayub of the varsity바카라™s law department, rejected Sherwani바카라™s allegations and ruled out Mehnaz바카라™s alleged involvement in separatism.

An unfazed Sherwani claims she has already divorced Mehnaz, who had 바카라œfrom day one kept me in the dark바카라 about her family background. 바카라œShe had told me that her father was into transport business, but in reality he was a taxi driver. I overlooked all these things and married her as she appeared to be very religious,바카라 he says. Today, Sherwani claims that Mehnaz has filed three cases against him, including the one of domestic violence. 바카라œI am contesting all of them,바카라 he says, adding that he spent much of last year on a pilgrimage of Umra and Hajj. 바카라œSo how I had I get the time to beat her?바카라

Mehnaz, in her sensational letter that describes her life as worse than a maid바카라™s, says Sherwani would beat her regularly and their two children were witness바카라”even victims바카라”of it. She further claims that Sherwani wrote letters to various Indian intelligence agencies and the MHA, 바카라œmisleading them바카라 into believing that the Pakistani national had connections with separatists. 바카라œBecause of his claims, obtaining visa became difficult for me,바카라 she adds. 바카라œI remained under the radar for long and the FRO did not let me fill the application for the visa...바카라

Just as Mehnaz had got a stay order from the J&K High Court against her deportation, she gave birth to her third baby. The infant was critically ill and remained hospitalised바카라”till its death on January 25. 바카라œHe (Sherwani) never took me to the gynaecologist for check-up,바카라 she says, adding that a result of 바카라œtorture and negligence바카라 was that the baby was born with clubbed hand and feet, besides problems with the kidney, liver, intestine and lungs.

What바카라™s more, On January 29, Sherwani바카라”according to his wife바카라”took the woman in his car and dropped her at a bridge on the Nageen Lake, asking her to commit suicide. 바카라œMy wounds from the surgery had still not healed when he hit me hard from his car and left me in the middle of the road to die,바카라 she adds. On February 1, Mehnaz filed an FIR at the local police station, and has since then been living separately.

The woman바카라™s lawyer, Arshie Zuhar, tells Outlook that her husband falsely claims that she has divorced her last year while as they were living together until January this year. 바카라œMehnaz바카라™s husband has left no stone unturned to drive her away,바카라 says the lawyer. 바카라œHe would lock her in her room throughout the day, separating her from kids and was not providing her anything to eat.바카라

On his part, Sherwani concedes he wrote letters to intelligence and security agencies, but that was after a threat. 바카라œA pro-Pakistan person within the university told me that that if I divorced his wife, they would burn my parent바카라™s house,바카라 he claims. In his letters to the agencies, Sherwani had written that his wife would celebrate Pakistan Day, a point the university probe rejected.

Sherwani says his family was giving a personal undertaking for her visa for long. 바카라œHow come she says from day one she was not acceptable to my family?바카라 he says. Pointing to his 바카라œdivorce바카라, he adds that Mehnaz is illegally staying in the Valley. 바카라œI wonder why the government is not bringing all these factors before the court,바카라 he says, adding that Mehnaz바카라™s father wants her back in Karachi, but she who is adamant to stay in India.

Their children, after all, are not Pakistanis. As Mehnaz says, 바카라œI came to India only because of Sherwani.바카라

×