A Pakistani woman, Ruqaiya Obaeed, has petitioned the Delhi High Court seeking permission to enter India to reunite with her Indian citizen husband, Ubada Abul Barakat Farooqi. Justice Sachin Datta of the Delhi High Court has requested the Central Government to respond to the petition. The court has set a deadline of November 12 for the government to file its response.
Obaeed and Farooqi married in Pakistan in November 2024. Following their marriage, Obaeed applied for an Indian visa and arrived in Delhi on April 5, 2025, to live with her husband. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) subsequently issued her a residential permit. She then applied online for a Long-Term Visa (LTV), providing all necessary documentation.
However, on April 22, 2025, a terror attack occurred in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which prompted the Union Home Ministry to suspend all visa services for Pakistani nationals. Consequently, the government cancelled all visas. On April 25, the Indian government issued visa cancellation orders in response to the attack. The government's decision led to the suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals with immediate effect. Following this, the FRRO issued an Exit Permit on April 28, instructing her to leave India by May 19 via the Attari–Wagah border.
The petition challenges the central government's order to cancel all visas following the Pahalgam terror attack. Obaeed seeks a long-term visa to remain in India. The petition requests the government to reissue a fresh visit visa or any other suitable entry permission, allowing her to maintain conjugal relations with her husband, who is an Indian citizen.
Senior advocate Sanjeev Sagar, along with advocate Nazia Parveen, representing the petitioner, argued that the couple's families have longstanding ties and regularly visit each other's countries. They also pointed out that Obaeed had entered India on April 5, 2025, through the Attari-Wagah Border to live with her husband.
The petition also cites a News18 broadcast that reported a government advisory allowing Pakistani nationals with pending LTV applications to remain in India or reapply. The petition argues that officials failed to acknowledge or act on this update. The plea stated that many Pakistani women who married in India chose to disregard the orders and managed to stay in their respective locations based on the news report. It further noted that authorities in Rajasthan, particularly in Jodhpur, did not take action against Pakistani women staying there.
This is not the first instance of a Pakistani woman petitioning the Delhi High Court for visa-related issues. In April 2025, the Delhi High Court declined to entertain a similar petition from another Pakistani woman seeking a long-term visa and regularization of her stay until she received Indian citizenship. That petition was withdrawn after the court indicated it would not grant the requested relief, citing national security concerns following the Pahalgam attack.
