Law comes in way of wedlock of Pak woman with Indian

Amritsar, Apr 8 (UNI) A story of love and compassion between two married individuals -- a 35-year-old Pakistani woman and a local resident, which till yesterday seemed to be moving towards culminating in a wedding has today run into rough weather.

The law enforcing agencies have stepped in to stall the move of Karachi born 35-year-old Mumtaz, a mother of three, to tie the nuptial knot with Gurtam kumar alias Gora, a Bihari labourer settled here.

Mumtaz, alongwith her children, was arrested by the city police in January under section 14 of the Foreigners Act and section 3 of the Passport Act.

Mumtaz, behind bars inside the high security Central Jail till Wednesday, was let off on bail the following day. She and Gora, who is also married, moved an application in court yesterday for their marriage. However, the local authorities have stepped in and are moving an application in the Session Court on Monday for cancellation of her bail.

SP (city) Dr Kaushab Sharma, when contacted, said she had been granted bail by a lower court as the police failed to submit the challan of her arrest in court in time. An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Jasbir Singh, who was handling the case, has been placed under suspension for negligence.

Gora, a resident of Sultanwind locality, had given Mumtaz and her two daughters and son shelter for 11 months when they 'were on the run' as they possessed no visa or passport to enter Pakistan.

She and her childern were arrested from Gora's residence.

Officals said that as Mumtaz and her children were Pakistani citizens, they could not be let off. She would have to face trial and could be deported to Pakistan, depending on the circumstances.

Mumtaz and Gora were consulting local lawyers and there were indications that they may approach the Punjab government or the Union government for withdrawal of the case and granting Indian citizenship to her and her children.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) prisons, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who is incharge of the Central Jail, said her three children were being well looked after in the prison. Mumtaz's life has been a tale of one tragedy after another. About 11 years ago, she married a Bangladeshi who visited Pakistan. She went on to to live with him in Bangladesh only to discover that he was already married.

She lived a miserable life in Bangladesh and gave birth to three children. About two years back, Mumtaz and her children were made to illegally cross into India by her husband promising that he would take them to Dubai.

Mumtaz and her children were, taken to Kolkata by her husband who disappeared thereafter. Doing odd jobs, she finally reached here. After making inquiries, she went to the Wagah border with the hope of getting permission to enter Pakistan.

However, Border Security Force (BSF) officials refused her ermission as she had no visa for entry but on compassionate grounds, she was not detained and was advised to contact the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi. She stayed at unknown places in Delhi and last year, returned here.

She met Gora, a labourer who provided her shelter in his house despite his family's opposition. However, in January, the Punjab Police arrested her on a tip-off that she was a Pakistani.

She was sent to the Central Jail while her eight-year-old son Sohail was sent to the Juvenile Home in Faridkot and her daughters Ayesha (10) and Amana (7) were sent to the Nari Niketan in Jalandhar. However, following a PIL filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, directions were issued by the court in February to unite the children with the mother at the central jail here.

UNI