Indian Sikh woman converts to Islam, marries Pakistani citizen

An Indian Sikh woman visiting Pakistan as part of a religious pilgrimage has embraced Islam and married a local resident, officials confirmed.

Sarbjit Kaur, who arrived with a group of Sikh yatrees on November 4 for the birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak, converted to Islam and adopted the name Noor.

According to official documents, the 48-year-old married Nasir Hussain, a resident of Farooqabad in Sheikhupura district, on November 5.

The marriage certificate states that the mehr was fixed at Rs10,000, which has already been paid.

Kaur was scheduled to return to India on November 13 with the rest of the pilgrims, but she did not join the departing group. Her visa also expired the same day.

Authorities initially declared her missing, prompting a search. It later emerged that she had converted to Islam during her stay and entered into marriage with Hussain.

Pakistan has in recent years introduced several measures to facilitate Sikh pilgrims and improve arrangements for their religious festivals, including visits to Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. Sikh yatrees have regularly expressed appreciation for these steps during their visits.