Father-in-law seeks safe return of woman who 'remarried' in Pakistan

The father-in-law of a 32-year-old woman, Kiran Bala, who has reportedly remarried in Lahore, today sought the Centre's intervention for her safe return to the country.

Hoshiarpur-based Bala's father-in-law Tarsem Singh sought the Centre's interference fearing that she might have fallen into the hands of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and forced to convert into Islam and remarry there.

The woman had gone to Pakistan to attend the Baisakhi festival there as part of an SGPC Sikh 'jatha' (delegation).

"I had dropped Kiran Bala, who is my daughter-in-law, at Amritsar on April 10 for accompanying the Sikh jatha which was going to Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi there. She was very happy at that time," said Tarsem.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), apex religious body of the Sikhs, had sent a Sikh 'jatha' to Pakistan to celebrate Baisakhi festival there.

A senior SGPC official told PTI that the Committee has sought a report under what circumstances the woman was separated from the 'jatha.'