'Threatened, Forced To Marry': Indian Woman Sarabjeet Kaur's Pakistan Ordeal | Exclusive

Last Updated:January 14, 2026, 10:44 IST

CNN-News18 has accessed audio and video recordings in which Sarabjeet Kaur is purportedly heard pleading for help, stating that she is not free and wants to return to India.

According to her husband, Karnail Singh, Sarabjeet Kaur was lured and later coerced by a Pakistani man, Nasir Hussain, whom she had been in contact with through social media.

The case of Indian national Sarabjeet Kaur has raised serious concerns over the safety of religious minorities and Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan under the 1974 bilateral pilgrimage protocol. Sarabjeet Kaur, who travelled to Pakistan on a religious visa, is currently lodged in a shelter home in Lahore, with no visible progress on her deportation to India. Her family alleges she was kidnapped, blackmailed, forcibly converted, and married against her will — claims that have now drawn the attention of Pakistani courts and multiple state institutions.

According to her husband, Karnail Singh, Sarabjeet Kaur was lured and later coerced by a Pakistani man, Nasir Hussain, whom she had been in contact with through social media. Singh, speaking to CNN-News18, alleges that Hussain recorded compromising videos and photographs of Sarabjeet Kaur and used them to blackmail her. He claims she was threatened at gunpoint, forced to travel to Pakistan, and compelled to convert to Islam and marry Hussain under duress. Singh further alleges that Hussain sent the explicit material to Sarabjeet Kaur’s family repeatedly to intimidate and humiliate them.

CNN-News18 has accessed audio and video recordings in which Sarabjeet Kaur is purportedly heard pleading for help, stating that she is not free and wants to return to India. Singh says he possesses multiple recordings where his wife asks to be rescued, adding that her mental and physical health has deteriorated, with dangerously high blood pressure and signs of severe depression. The family has also alleged that Nasir Hussain kidnapped Sarabjeet Kaur’s three sisters, a claim that, if substantiated, would significantly escalate the gravity of the case.

The Lahore High Court is currently examining the alleged misuse of the pilgrimage visa and the legality of Sarabjeet Kaur’s marriage. The court has sought detailed reports from several Pakistani state institutions, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Punjab Police. However, the Pakistani Interior Ministry has so far failed to issue a Special Travel Permit or a No Objection Certificate (NOC), effectively delaying her return to India.

Beyond this individual case, the allegations have reignited broader concerns about the safety of religious minorities in Pakistan. Sikh and Hindu communities have long reported targeted violence, forced conversions, and intimidation, particularly against women. Critics argue that the 1974 pilgrimage protocol — designed to facilitate safe religious travel between India and Pakistan — is being systematically misused, exposing pilgrims to grave risks.

Top intelligence sources have also expressed alarm that religious visas are being exploited to trap and coerce women into forced marriages and conversions. The situation, they argue, has worsened in recent years, with claims that Pakistani authorities have failed to provide adequate protection or accountability.

The Sarabjeet Kaur case has prompted calls for greater international scrutiny. Her family has urged the Pakistani government to secure her immediate release and punish those responsible, while appealing to the international community — particularly Western nations with diplomatic ties to Pakistan — to pressure Islamabad to uphold minority rights and honour bilateral safety commitments.

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