Despite no voting rights, Asifa (named changed on request) is rooting for a government that takes up their cause when Punjab votes on February 20. This 30-plus Pakistan-origin woman is among the 200 odd people who are married to Indian citizens and are living in Qadian, known as the home of the Ahmadiyya movement.
And like their spouses, they, too, are keenly awaiting the outcome of the polls. They claim that for them it is also about their future and their permanency in this country.
These families are concentrated mainly in the Ahmadiyya chowk of the town and like the Qadian residents are keeping an eye on the campaign of different parties.
These women from Pakistan, who have married Indian men out of choice, are hoping that the state government which comes to power will take up their cause of citizenship with the Union government.
“Legally, after seven years into marriage, the Indian government grants citizenship and by that time travelling to Pakistan keeps getting difficult. With relations between both countries getting worse every year, it gets even more difficult,” says Kiran Sarjeet (name changed).
Originally from Sialkot, Sarjeet has completed six years in India and is a mother of two. She is hoping that by the end of next year she would be a resident of India and thus a Punjabi.
Whichever party comes to power, several people like Sarjeet are hoping that the government is stable and is able to take up their cause.
Another Pakistan-born woman, Nazima (name changed), is from Karachi and is in her thirties. “We want a government that is just, fair and gives the freedom to travel, work and learn in India,” said, adding that some Pakistan-born women now staying here have left their country to escape the political conflicts such as religious blasphemy laws.
“They have come not just for love here but also with the hope to liberate their rights and gain freedom for their womanhood and religious values in this democratic country,” she said.
Pakistani brides want a stable government in Punjab which could give better life and good future of their people.
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