'She converted to Sanatan Dharma...': Seema Haider's lawyer urges to not link her to Pahalgam terror attack

Seema Haider appealed to the government to let her stay in India

AP Singh, the lawyer of Seema Haidar, a Pakistani national who had come to India to marry a man named Sachin, has now urged people to not target her over the Pahalgam terror attack as she has no link to the attack.

In a self-made video that ANI posted later, Singh said, "When she was in Pakistan, her divorce happened. After the death of her father, she befriended Sachin...in Nepal they got married as per Santana Dharma...after coming to India."

"She converted to Sanatana Dharma legally and then got married following all the rituals... their daughter's name is Meera...her documents are with ATS...Seema has never visited any places other than her in-laws' house and hospital...linking her to the Pahalgam incident is wrong," Singh added.

A few days ago, when the Indian government ordered Pakistani nationals to leave India and return to Pakistan, Seema Haidar had urged the government to let her stay in India since she is "India's daughter-in-law" now.

"I do not want to go to Pakistan. I appeal to PM (Narendra) Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to let me stay in India," Seema had said in a video, adding that after marrying her husband in India, she had adopted Hinduism.

"Seema is no longer a Pakistani national. She married Sachin Meena, a resident of Greater Noida, and recently gave birth to their daughter Bharti Meena. Her citizenship is now connected with her Indian husband, and therefore, the Centre's directive should not apply to her," AP Singh had earlier told PTI.

The appeal to the Indian government came after the Indian government put strict measures in place - in retaliation to the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, including tourists, locals and foreign nationals.

Apart from banning Pakistani nationals from India and cancelling their visas, India has also suspended the Indus Water Treaty.