Who is Seema Haider? Pak Woman's Marriage with Indian, UP ATS Probe and Mercy Plea to Prez | Explained

Pakistani citizen Seema Haider grabbed national attention for her controversial love story as she crossed the border to enter India after falling in love with her Indian boyfriend, who she met on an online game.

Haider, however, has remained in headlines as she faces investigation by security agencies over spy allegations and her renewed efforts to stay in India.

She is currently out of detention after the ATS investigation and maintains that she is not a spy and wants to remain in India. As the case takes several twists and turns, here’s Seema Haider’s story so far:

Who is Seema Gulam Haider?

30-year-old Seema Haider, who hails from Sindh province in Pakistan, crossed over to India illegally in May to be with her partner Sachin Meena in Greater Noida.

Seema, a mother of four children was married to Ghulam Haider, who currently resides in Saudi Arabia. She left her home country and crossed the border into India illegally along with her four children, all aged below seven years, in a bus via Nepal on May 13.

Haider said she had come to live with his Indian lover Sachin Meena who stays in Rabupura area of Greater Noida.

Seema, left her home and husband for Sachin, and says she wants to spend her whole life with Sachin and does not want to go back to Pakistan.

However, she was arrested on July 4 for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal while Sachin was put behind bars for sheltering the illegal immigrants.

How Did Seema Haider Enter India?

Seema’s love story with her partner Sachin Meena began in 2019 in the private chatroom of online game playing PUBG. They befriended over PubG and then started conversations on WhatsApp and later decided to marry.

According to reports, the couple decided to take their relationship to the next level and married at the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal in March this year. The couple met for the first time in person in March this year in Kathmandu where they stayed together at a hotel in the Nepal capital from March 10 to 17.

Seema returned to Nepal from Pakistan, taking the Karachi-Dubai route, on a 15-day tourist visa on May 10. In Nepal, she reached from Kathmandu to Pokhara and stayed for the night. Seema then took a bus from Pokhara on the morning of May 12 and entered India from Roopandehi-Khunwa (Khunwa) border district Siddharthnagar.

She along with her four children travelled to Greater Noida via Lucknow and Agra and had been staying with her lover since then.

How Did the Controversy Began?

Seema Haider, her husband Sachin and Sachin’s father were arrested by the Gautambuddha Nagar Police in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh and the three were sent to 14-day judicial custody.

However, the three were granted bail by a local court on July 7 and started living together with her four children in a house in the Rabupura area.

Earlier on Monday, the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police questioned Seema Haider, his husband Sachin and Sachin’s father Netrapal Singh for two days.

As per the sleuths, two video cassettes, four mobile phones, five “authorised" Pakistani passports and one “unused passport" with incomplete name and address and an identity card have been received from Seema Haider.

What is the Police Investigating?

Seema was questioned by the ATS over her kin and claims of her brother and uncle serving in the Pakistan Army. She was able to perfectly read an English text handed to her by the police, according to reports.

The UP ATS officials also questioned Haider over her proficiency in Hindi, as she would be heard using difficult Hindi words while giving TV interviews, reports said.

Haider told the officials that she learned Hindi while playing with Indians on PubG. However, when confronted over the fact that her boyfriend, did not use such difficult Hindi phrases, Haider remained silent.

The UP ATS has recommended sending back Seema to Pakistan, however, she claimed she would be murdered if she returned to her country.

However, UP Special Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said it would not be appropriate to say if Seema is a spy “unless we have enough proof".

Asked if Seema could be a Pakistan spy, Special DGP asserted nothing could be said so early. “The matter is related to two countries. Till we have enough proof, it would not be appropriate to say anything in this regard," he said.

What has Seema Haider said so far?

After her first arrest earlier this month, Seema had appealed to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to allow her to stay in India. She said she would be “stone to death" in Pakistan if she went back.

The Pakistani national has reportedly filed a petition before President Droupadi Murmu, seeking an Indian citizenship. In her petition, claims to have been deeply influenced by Indian culture and traditions and requested permission to stay in India.

Seema has reiterated that she does not wish to go back to Pakistan and wants to live with Sachin. She has also claimed to have converted into a Hinduism.