Pakistani lesbian couple seek asylum in UK

The couple who tied the knot in the UK have received death threats.

Two Pakistan women, recently married as a Muslim lesbian couple, have sought asylum in the UK claiming their lives would be in danger if they return to their native country, reported Sunday Mercury on Sunday.

According to the report, Rehana Kausar, 34, and Sobia Kamar, 29, tied the knot at a registry office in Leeds earlier this month and immediately applied for political asylum.

The couple was reported to have received death threats both in the UK and from opponents in Pakistan.

“The couple did not have an Islamic marriage ceremony, known as a nikah, as they could not find an imam to conduct what would have been a controversial ceremony,” a relative of the women was quoted as saying.

“They have been very brave throughout as our religion does not condone homosexuality. The couple have had their lives threatened both here and in Pakistan and there is no way they could ever return there,” the relative added.

Kausar, originally from Lahore, holds a master’s degree in economics from Punjab University and later studied in Birmingham where she met Kamar.

“This country allows us rights and it’s a very personal decision that we have taken. It’s no one’s business as to what we do with our personal lives,” she was quoted as telling the Birmingham-based Sunday Mercury newspaper.