Indian home ministry offers help to unite Lucknow boy, Karachi girl

Sadia Mehran is engaged to Syed Shariq Hashmi, who runs a medical wholesale business in India

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh's office has offered to play a role in getting a visa issue sorted for a Pakistani bride.

According to the Times of India, Rajnath Singh's office responded to a tweet of its reporter about the plight for 28-year-old Syed Shariq Hashmi from Lucknow and 25-year-old Sadia Mehran from Karachi.

In its July 4 issue, the TOI had reported about Shariq and Sadia's proposed wedding, slated for August 1 and the troubles it entailed. It followed another story on July 5, with ambiguous plans of postponement following the visa application for Sadia being cancelled twice.



On July 13, the newspaper said it received a call from Singh's office in New Delhi, with a desire to unite the two, whose wedding had been arranged by their families in 2012. The home minister's office has also sought details of Sadia's visa application.

"The couple should not lose hope. We will make all efforts to get the issue sorted. The details will have to be looked into," an Indian home ministry official said.

"We really want our case to be pursued and it feels great to know the [Indian] home ministry is taking a personal interest," said Shariq.

Sadia is engaged to Shariq, who runs a medical wholesale business and is a distant relative. Having visited India five times, it was on Sadia's last visit to Lucknow in 2012 that the match was fixed and an alliance drawn between the families.