Nagpur: After waiting for four years, Vandana Keswani finally got married on Monday even when she missed her parents, who saw the ceremony through video calls.
Kalpana Motwani, also a Pakistani bride in India, on the other hand embraced her marriage scheduled for last Saturday.
Both Vandana and Kalpana are Pakistanic residents of Sukkur and the cities of Ghotki in Sindh Province, respectively, married to the Indian groom.
Vandana’s parents have a visa, but cannot cross because the border has not been reopened.
The waiting may be longer for Kalpana because his parents’ visa application itself has been rejected.
Toi has reported the case of Vandana on November 8.
He was engaged to Anil Jhammnani from Nagpur four years ago, but could not get a visa to go down to Nagpur and get married.
The engagement is said to have occurred on video calls.
He crossed through the wagi border on November 3 leaving his parents.
Parents remain back when the crossover date coincides with the other daughter’s wedding in Pakistan.
Now even when his parents have a visa, they remain on the other side.
Post-Covid crossings occur at the Gagah-Attari border only on the exact date.
There is no date announced for the next crossover.
“With the current visa, we can fly to India through Dubai or Sri Lanka, but who need RS5 Lakh for the whole family.
We cannot afford that much,” said Vandana Arjandas Keswani, who worked as a commission agent in Sukkur.
“We can get special permission to cross.
Requests are sent by email to the Indian High Commission, but there is no response,” he said.
“My family came to Pakistan in 2009.
I lived in Nagpur with my relatives to continue their education because the rest was left for family reasons in 2018.
Now even though my marriage has been fixed, my parents did not get a visa to join me,” said Kalpana Tell his story.
His marriage was repaired last Saturday, with the bride of India now living in Australia.
Kalpana also applies Indian citizenship.
“My parents have submitted a visa request in October, but the same as the date of marriage came, we got the news that it was rejected.
I was really sad.
How can I get married without my parents down,” Kalpana said.
“I haven’t met my parents after they go to Pakistan in 2018.
It is indeed emotional chaos to get married without them,” he said.
Rajesh Jhambia from Sindh-Hindi Panchayat said he had asked the Indian High Commission in Pakistan to issue a visa for Kalpana’s parents.
However, the papers were sent back like that.
The High Commission must consider such cases on humanitarian land, he said.
Kalpana’s father Washdev Motwani said they left India because their business here could not be set well, and they began again in Pakistan.
“We have no choice but to wait,” Washdev said sadly.