150 Pakistani Sindhi brides fly to India for weddings after visa hurdle overcome

For years, families belonging to the Sindhi community in Pakistan’s Sindh province regularly traveled across the Wagah-Attari land border in Punjab to marry relatives in India. That traditional arrangement ground to a sudden halt after the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, a military campaign initiated in response to a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 26 civilians dead. As part of tighter diplomatic and security measures following the attack, New Delhi restricted visas and sealed land borders for Pakistani visitors, stranding dozens of weddings in legal limbo.

How Shadaani Darbar and the Ministry of Home Affairs Broke the Deadlock

With land routes closed and visa applications through Attari routinely rejected, stranded families turned to religious leadership for intervention. Community representatives approached Raipur-based Sant Yudhishtirlal Shadaani, the spiritual head of Shadaani Darbar—a prominent Hindu shrine located in Ghotki, within Pakistan’s Sindh province. The shrine compiled a comprehensive list of approximately 150 Pakistani women who were engaged to men across various Indian cities, including Nagpur, Raipur, Jodhpur, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Bhopal.

The temple administration subsequently submitted this roster directly to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, urging authorities to facilitate transit on humanitarian grounds. The MHA agreed to clear the visas under a strict condition: travelers were barred from using the Wagah-Attari land crossing and had to complete their journeys entirely by air.

“The brides and their kin have arrived in India through transit routes via Muscat, Dubai, Sri Lanka and other countries.”

Rajesh Jhambia, community leader

Beginning in April, the approved brides and accompanying relatives boarded circuitous flights originating from Karachi and interior Sindh, transiting through hubs in Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh before touching down in India. Out of the initial wave, 15 brides arrived specifically in Nagpur.

Personal Toll of Closed Borders and Low-Profile Ceremonies

The policy shift disrupted long-planned timelines for families who had already made arrangements prior to the 2025 border closures. Inkesh Jashnani, an Indian resident living on a long-term visa, found his wedding plans upended when his bride, Aarti, reached a point just one kilometer from the Wagah border in May 2025—only for the Attari gate to slam shut. More than a year later, Aarti finally flew into Nagpur via Muscat to marry, though strict visa limits meant her parents had to stay behind in Khanpur tehsil while only her brother accompanied her.

“I wish the borders open and I meet them once.”

Aarti Jashnani, bride

Other families faced similar hurdles. Sanjay Kalani, a Nagpur resident with Indian citizenship, waited three years after his engagement to Kajal from Pakistan’s Ghotki district before she could fly to Delhi via Muscat and reach Nagpur for their wedding five months ago.

Because Pakistani relatives accompanying the brides are required by visa stipulations to return within a strict timeframe, community members noted that the ceremonies remained relatively low-profile compared to traditional cross-border gatherings.

Community Appeals for the Remaining 300 Waiting Brides

While 150 women have successfully completed their journeys through third-country air routes, community organizers emphasize that the situation remains unresolved for a significant portion of families.

“The long wait is over, finally.”

Rajesh Jhambia, community leader

Community representatives, including Nagpur-based community leader Rajesh Jhambia, who advocates for Pakistani Sindhi migrants, have formally asked the Indian government to extend similar air-transit visa relaxations to roughly 300 additional women still stranded in Pakistan who are engaged to men in India.