Pakistani court orders officials not to harass Sikh woman who converted, married local man

A high court in Pakistan has directed authorities to stop harassing a 48-year-old Sikh woman who has reportedly converted to Islam and married a Pakistani man after meeting him on social media.

The woman identified as Sarabjeet Kaur from Kapurthala district in Punjab had gone missing during a pilgrimage to Pakistan earlier this month. She later approached the court alleging that police were pressuring her to end her marriage. According to reports, documents including a nikahnama and a copy of her passport have surfaced, indicating she adopted the name Noor Hussain and married Nasir Hussain of Nayi Abadi Sheikupura.

Kaur was part of a group of 1,923 Sikh pilgrims who travelled to Pakistan on November 4 to mark Guru Nanak Dev’s Parkash Purab. The ‘jatha’ was led by Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj of Akal Takht Sahib. After the 10-day visit to various gurdwaras, 1,922 pilgrims returned to India on Thursday — with Kaur missing from the group.

Her name was reportedly absent from both Pakistan’s exit immigration logs and India’s re-entry records, prompting intelligence agencies in India to begin tracing her whereabouts. Officials told the news agency that the Indian mission in Pakistan is in touch with local authorities regarding the case.

Sikh organisations have demanded a detailed investigation into her disappearance, citing concerns over the circumstances under which she was separated from the group.

The visit itself had earlier seen minor controversy, with Pakistani authorities reportedly preventing 14 Hindu devotees from Delhi and Lucknow from joining the Sikh group. The Indian government had allowed the pilgrimage after initially declining permission due to security concerns.

Every year, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee sends Sikh delegations to Pakistan to pay respects at historic gurdwaras associated with Guru Nanak Dev.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)