In the ongoing cross-border legal dispute involving Indian national Sarabjeet Kaur, her husband Karnal Singh has approached the Lahore High Court seeking annulment of her alleged marriage to Pakistani citizen Nasir Hussain. The petition argues that the second marriage is legally invalid because Sarabjeet Kaur had not obtained a formal divorce from her first husband in India before converting to Islam and remarrying in Pakistan.
The case traces back to November 4 last year, when Sarabjeet Kaur travelled to Pakistan as part of a Sikh pilgrimage group attending Guru Nanak Dev Parkash Purv. While the rest of the group returned to India on November 13, she did not complete exit formalities and was later reported missing. During her stay in Pakistan, she converted to Islam, adopted the name Noor Fatima, and married Nasir Hussain, reportedly citing an eight-year-long relationship that began through social media. The development triggered legal and diplomatic attention in both countries.
In the petition filed through Advocate Ali Changezi Sandhu, Karnal Singh maintains that his marriage to Sarabjeet Kaur remains legally valid under Indian law because no divorce proceedings have been completed. The plea alleges that the remarriage violated legal and religious procedures and includes claims of forced conversion and financial inducement. It also annexes material that allegedly shows Nasir Hussain admitting to sharing private photographs and videos of Sarabjeet Kaur with her relatives.
The petition cites legal principles laid down by Pakistan’s constitutional courts, including rulings of the Federal Shariat Court, which outline procedures governing cases where a married non-Muslim woman converts to Islam and seeks to marry a Muslim man. According to these principles, the woman must first obtain a judicial divorce under the laws governing her existing marriage. She must then formally invite her non-Muslim husband to convert to Islam in the presence of witnesses, followed by a mandatory 90-day waiting period if he refuses. Only after completion of these steps can a subsequent marriage be considered legally valid.
The petitioner contends that these requirements were not followed and argues that any marital relationship entered into during the subsistence of the first marriage would be unlawful under Islamic law. On this basis, the plea seeks criminal proceedings against Nasir Hussain and also requests the deportation of Sarabjeet Kaur, alleging violations of visa conditions, the Foreigners Act of 1946, and applicable religious legal norms.
Additionally, Karnal Singh has asked the court to place Sarabjeet Kaur in a women’s shelter home pending adjudication, facilitate communication between her and her family in India, and order forensic examination of audio recordings submitted as evidence. The petition further seeks registration of rape charges, alleging that Hussain knowingly entered into a marriage contract with a woman already legally married.
Earlier proceedings saw the couple approach the Lahore High Court for protection from harassment, after which authorities were directed not to interfere with them. Subsequently, Punjab Police detained them, and Sarabjeet Kaur was moved to a government-run shelter home in Lahore. A separate petition filed in a Lahore sessions court by a former Pakistani Sikh legislator also sought registration of an FIR over alleged immigration violations, prompting the court in January 2026 to seek a report from the Federal Investigation Agency.
On February 13, Sarabjeet Kaur, also known as Noor Fatima, left the shelter home and returned to Nasir Hussain’s residence, stating that their relationship had lasted eight years and that she intended to remain in Pakistan. This followed circulation of an earlier audio clip in which she had reportedly expressed a desire to return to India and reunite with her first husband. The matter remains under judicial consideration in Pakistan.
