26 years on, 'bride' from Pakistan has no country to call her own

Married to an Indian 26 years ago, 50-year-old Asma Begum from Pakistan is today a stateless person and unable to meet her ailing mother in Karachi.

Asma had married Nisar Ahmed in 1984 and had been residing in Miranpur town of this district on a long term visa.

In 2003, she wanted to visit her family in Pakistan after her father's death, but the Pakistani authorities refused to renew her passport.

"I was informed that my Pakistani nationality has been cancelled and I could not meet my relatives," she says.

So, she applied for Indian citizenship in 2004. Officials say the application is still pending with the home ministry.

"I don't have either Indian or Pakistani passport and am unable to visit my aged mother who is critically ill in Pakistan," says Asma.