LAHORE: In a significant development, Pakistani authorities have decided to deport Indian Sikh pilgrim Sarbjit Kaur, who had converted to Islam and married a local man from Sheikhupura district, due to her overstaying on an expired single-entry visa.
As of January 5, 2026, Kaur, now known as Noor Hussain after her conversion, has been moved to the Wagah border and is expected to be handed over to Indian authorities via the Attari-Wagah crossing.
Kaur, a 48-52-year-old divorced mother of two from Punjab’s Kapurthala district, arrived in Pakistan on November 4, 2025, as part of a large Sikh jatha to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary.
The group returned on November 13, but Kaur stayed behind. Reports soon emerged that she had willingly embraced Islam and married Nasir Hussain (also referred to as Naseer Hussain), a resident of Farooqabad in Sheikhupura, on November 5.
The couple reportedly met on social media years earlier.
Initially, Kaur appeared before a judicial magistrate in Sheikhupura, affirming that her conversion and marriage were voluntary and without coercion.
In November 2025, the Lahore High Court even directed police to stop harassing the couple after they complained of pressure to dissolve the marriage.
However, with her visa expiring in mid-November, Pakistani immigration laws mandated her deportation.
On January 4, 2026, a joint team from Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau and local police arrested Kaur and her husband in a village near Nankana Sahib.
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee confirmed the action, citing the visa violation.
This case has drawn attention to cross-border personal decisions during religious pilgrimages, with sources from both sides reporting no evidence of forced conversion.
Indian authorities are coordinating for her return, while the incident underscores ongoing sensitivities in India-Pakistan bilateral religious exchanges.
