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Indian national Uzma returns from `well of death` Pakistan, breaks down while narrating her ordeal
`I am proud to be an Indian citizen, there`s no place like India in the world.`
New Delhi: Indian national Uzma Ahmad who was forced to marry a Pakistani man at gunpoint and subjected to extreme torture has revealed horrific details of the trauma she underwent during her forced stay in the Islamic Republic.
Uzma, who is in her early 20s, hails from New Delhi. She had travelled to Pakistan earlier this month after she fell in love with a Pakistani man Tahir Ali she had met in Malaysia.
However, her happiness was short-lived as Tahir forced her into marrying him at gunpoint on May 3.
Recalling her ordeal, Uzma said, "It's easy to go to Pakistan, but tough to return. Pakistan is a 'Maut ka Kuan' (well of death)."
"I had gone to Pakistan on May 01 and had planned to return by May 12. But I never knew that situation would change after crossing Wagah border," she said.
Uzma revealed that Tahir gave her sleeping pills and took her to a remote village named Guner - that was under Taliban control in the recent past.
Describing Guner, she said that it was a very scary place. "All men there have 2-3 wives and carry big guns," she said.
The mother of a three-year-old said that she was subjected to extreme physical and mental torture while she was held captive by Tahir.
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"He (Tahir) threatened me that he will ensure that her daughter (who was in Delhi) would be killed if she Iidn't agree to sign the Nikahnama...fearing for the safety of my daughter I signed the papers," she said.
Uzma said that there were many more women like her remain trapped in Guner.
"Muslims (in India), especially women, think that Pakistan is very good but even those who go there after arraigned marriages rue their fate and want to come back to India. The women there have no freedom at all," she said.
"I am proud to be an Indian citizen, there's no place like India in the world," she added.
Thanking External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Deputy High Comissioner of India in Pakistan JP Singh, Uzma said, "I am an adopted child and I never knew my life had so much value."
"Sushma madam used to call me daily. She used to say daughter don't worry we are there for you, you are the daughter of India," Uzma said.
"My government has done so much for me," she said while also expressing desire to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to thank him personally.
Speaking about JP Singh, Uzma said, "When I reached the Indian High Commission and told at the counter that I am Indian, JP Sir responded immediately and took me inside the campus."
"He kept me safe and assured that I will not be made to go back with Tahir," she said.
"When I talked to Sushma madam, she said that no matter what happens we will not allow you to go back with Tahir," she said.
Uzma, accompanied by Indian Mission officials, had crossed the Wagah Border near Amritsar this morning.
She had petitioned the Islamabad High Court on May 12 requesting it to allow her to return home urgently as her daughter from her first marriage in India suffered from thalassemia -- a blood disorder characterised by abnormal hemoglobin production.
The court also returned her the immigration papers which Uzma had said was taken away by Tahir Ali, who had submitted the documents after being told by the court to do so.