Pahalgam massacre fallout: Confusion over pregnant Pakistani woman's return

GURDASPUR: Confusion persists over whether a Pakistani Christian woman , married to a Punjab native and six-months pregnant, has returned home. Maria Bibi and Sonu Masih were last seen in a Gurdaspur hospital on Saturday, a day before the deadline for Pakistanis visiting India on short-term visas expired.

Maria's case has drawn attention due to her pregnancy and love marriage with Sonu of Gurdaspur.

There is no official confirmation on Maria's visa status, nor whether she had crossed Attari-Wagah border before its closure on Sunday. Sonu's whereabouts are also not known. Maqbool Ahmad, a social activist in Gurdaspur's Qadian, said late Saturday that Maria had been admitted to Gurdaspur civil hospital for treatment, after which the couple had not been seen.

Maria Bibi was asked by the authorities to return to Pakistan even as she maintained that her application for a long-term visa (LTV) was under process.