On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we witnessed not one but two real-life Veer Zaaras. Okay, we are stretching it a bit, but in a beautiful cross-border love story, two Pakistani brides reunited with their Indian husbands at Barmer in Rajasthan. Chagan Kanwar and Kailash Bai who have been residing in Pakistan for the last two years got a chance to cross the Wagah-Attari border and meet their husbands, Mahendra Singh and Nepal Singh Bhati.
Image Credit: iStock
After their wedding, both brides and their grooms had been living separately on each side of the border for two years. Nepal, who’s elated to meet his wife after a long time, told Hindustan Times, “I am thankful to Union minister Kailash Choudhary who helped us at every stage and extended his full support in getting a visa to my wife. Initially, my wife was allowed entry only through the air route but since we could not afford the air travel, the Union Minister again helped in getting permission for her to cross through Wagah-Attari road route (sic)”.
Both the brides had to go through a mandatory COVID-19 test and security check before entering India. They also had their respective families who accompanied them.
Even though Nepal is excited about reuniting with his wife, he’s sad and concerned about his younger brother Vikram Singh Bhati’s wife, Nirmala Bai whose visa was denied citing her blacklisted passport as the reason. Both the men were married into Pakistani-Hindu families, living across the border in January 2019. After the wedding, they stayed in Pakistan with their in-laws for a few months before returning to India. However, they both had to return to their homeland, leaving their brides in Pakistan as they were denied visas on technical grounds.
After a long wait of two years, when nothing seemed to work out in their favour, both Mahendra and Nepal sought help from Union Minister Kailash Choudhary who helped clear things out at the External Affairs Ministry. It’s surely been a long wait, but as they say, love always finds a way.
Lead Image Credit: iStock
