(*Some names have been changed to protect identity.)
It's been two weeks since 15-year-old Tara* has stepped out of her house on the outskirts of Karachi in Pakistan's Sindh province.
"My parents told me it's not safe. I think this might have something to do with Seema Haider's case," she told The Quint over the phone on 18 July.
Tara is a Hindu woman living in Pakistan’s Sindh.
Ever since news broke out that Seema Haider, a 27-year-old Pakistani Muslim woman, has been arrested in India for allegedly illegally entering the country, the after-effects have been felt in Pakistan too.
Serious threats have been issued to the minority Hindu community by dacoits and religious leaders warning that if Seema doesn’t return, “Hindus will have to pay the price.”
The Quint spoke to locals in Karachi, politicians, religious leaders, and activists to understand how the ‘love’ story, that allegedly started on online gaming app PUBG-Battleground, flared up communal tensions across the border.
Threats Issued on Social Media, Temples Vandalised
On 11 July, a purported 45-second video of armed men allegedly from the Jakhrani tribe (the one Seema belongs to) surfaced on the internet. In the video, the men issued threats to Hindus in Pakistan stating that if Seema doesn't return home, Hindus in Pakistan will suffer.
On 12 July, Miyan Mithu, a controversial extremist leader in Pakistan, spoke to a local news channel in Pakistan and threatened that if Seema doesn't return to Pakistan, "Hindus will suffer."
Dr Sorath Sindhu, a women rights' activist in Pakistan, told The Quint that Seema's story is being used as an excuse to justify persecution of women and minorities in the country.
"Seema is an adult. She has the right to make her own life choices. Her husband and in-laws can sue her as per law for not seeking divorce or taking their children along without her husband's consent. But how is threatening Hindu women a solution? How are they responsible for Seema's actions?"Dr Sorath Sindhu, Activist
Seema, a 27-year-old Pakistani Muslim woman, was arrested on 4 July by the police in India's Uttar Pradesh for entering the country illegally, with her four children, to be with her 'lover' Sachin Meena. The two claimed to have met through the popular online gaming app, PUBG-Battleground. Sachin and his father Netrapal Meena were also held for sheltering Seema.
400 Cops Deployed to ‘Protect Temples’ by Sindh Police
On 13 July, the Inspector-General of Sindh Police, Ghulam Nabi Memon, deployed 400 policemen across districts for the security of temples across the province. The order, accessed by The Quint, mentioned that the deployment is for a period of two months with immediate effect on administrative grounds.
"As many as 400 policemen of different ranges/districts have been deployed for the security of existing temples in Sindh for a period of two months," said a statement by the police spokesperson reported by Pakistan's national daily, Dawn.
"It's not as if the temples were not being attacked before or that Hindu women were not harassed before. Now, they (extremists) have found an excuse," said Ravi Dawani, President of the Hindu Panchayat — a socio-political outfit working for the rights of Pakistan’s Hindu community.
"There is a sense of panic on ground. Surprisingly, the reaction largely is not coming from religious extremists but from dacoits in the Sindh province," Dawani added.
Currently being interrogated by multiple security agencies including the Anti-Terror Squad of the UP police over the possibility of her being a Pakistani spy, in India, Seema's story quickly took a life of its own.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, girls such as Tara are scared to leave their homes since they saw the news of their neighbour Seema Haider's arrest in India. "I first saw the news on YouTube. Then it was all over the TV and newspapers," recalled Tara.
'An Average Pakistani Doesn't Care But...'
As per Pakistan's Muslim Personal Law, a woman cannot remarry without seeking divorce from her first husband.
Lala Maalhi, a former parliamentarian and a member of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), told The Quint, "Seema should be tried as per laws governing divorce and custody of children. We don't need religious militia on the street. Once her credentials are verified, the Pakistani government should form a communication channel with the Indian government and arrange for her return to the country."
While Seema's husband Ghulam Haider has pleaded with the Pakistani government to put her behind bars and reunite him with his four children, Seema has maintained that she will be killed if she returns to Pakistan.
"Sachin is my husband now. I have accepted Hinduism as my religion and India as my country. I request the Indian government to give me citizenship. If I am sent back to Pakistan, I will be killed," Seema had earlier told The Quint.
The couple allegedly got married at the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal in March 2023.
Politician Maalhi, religious leader Dawani, and activist Sindhu agree that the epicentre of the news is the Sindh province which has the largest population and the highest percentage of Hindus in Pakistan.
"Seema went to India and we are facing the consequences. Our political leaders go around the world and lecture people on human rights but they refuse to look inward," Sindhu told The Quint.
Maalhi claimed that the dacoits issuing threats to people enjoy political patronage. "The leaders of the tribes to which these dacoits belong are all politicians. Bilawal Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is in power in Sindh. Why is he silent? Why is Asif Ali Zardari silent? If they want, they can easily stop this mayhem," Maalhi said.
He added, “An average Pakistani is not concerned about Seema. Only politicians are using the case for vested interests."
Conspiracy Theories Afloat in Seema's Neighbourhood
People in Seema's neighbourhood, much like Sachin's village in Uttar Pradesh, are divided over the 'love story'. Tara's father, whose name has been withheld to protect his identity, said that "Seema could be a RAW agent" who has returned to her country, India.
RAW or the Research and Analysis Wing is India's foreign intelligence agency.
"Seema lived here with her children. Her husband worked somewhere in Saudi Arabia. We didn't know much about her family. They lived in Jacocabad, which is 500 km away from Karachi. She and her husband Ghulam Haider married against their parents' wishes and eloped to Karachi," a neighbour of Seema's in Bhattai Abad told The Quint.
While some are suspicious of Seema and her decision to sneak into India, many others came out in her support. "It's quite a thing for a mother of four to elope from the country for a man she loves, especially in a country like Pakistan," said a woman in the neighbourhood, who refused to be identified.
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