| 'Band, baaja, baraat' but wedding in limbo: Indian groom stuck at Attari-Wagah border | | | Agencies
JAIPUR, Apr 26: Rajasthan's Shaitan Singh got engaged to Kesar Kanwar from Pakistan's Sindh province four years ago. As the groom's family struggled for years to get visas, the cross-border wedding was hit by another hurdle when the government closed the Attari border on Thursday. With his wedding attire ready and all set to tie the knot in Pakistan's Amarkot city on April 30, Singh along with his family and 'baraat' set out from Barmer district for the Attari border on Tuesday. But by the time they reached there, authorities refused to let them cross the border as India on Wednesday ordered immediate shutdown of the Attari-Wagah border as part of a series of retaliatory steps following the tragic Pahalgam terror attack.
"We've waited a long time for this day," said Singh, adding that after years of efforts it was only recently, February 18, that he, his father and brother were granted visas.
The groom's cousin Surendra Singh said the situation has left both families disheartened.
"Our relatives from Pakistan had come here but they had to return. We are very disappointed. Terror attacks cause a lot of damage. Relations get spoiled. Movement on the border stops," he said.
As the cross-border wedding remains disrupted. The visa of Singh, a resident of Indroi village in Barmer district, is valid until May 12, giving the families a glimmer of hope that the wedding might still happen if the border reopens in time. |
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