A young woman from Kerni village in Poonch has been arrested by authorities in Haveli, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, for crossing the Line of Control (LoC) without proper documentation.
Identified as Fatima, the 28-year-old reportedly crossed the border on November 24 to marry Imran, a resident of the other side of Kerni.
Reports suggest Fatima was in contact with Imran, who works abroad alongside her brother.
The two had been communicating over the phone for some time.
Following her crossing, police in Haveli raided Imran’s home and arrested both Fatima and Imran.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed, charging Imran with persuading Fatima to cross the border and pressuring her to marry him against her family’s wishes.
Imran’s family has since approached local authorities, requesting the release of both individuals.
The incident is reminiscent of a similar case in 2023 when an Indian woman named Anju crossed into Pakistan to marry her friend Nasrullah in Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Fatima’s home village of Kerni, located near the LoC, has seen numerous crossings over the years.
In October 2023, a 17-year-old mentally challenged boy, Irshad Ahmad, was handed over to Pakistani authorities after he was intercepted while attempting to cross into the Kerni sector.
Authorities on both sides of the LoC are working to address such incidents, which highlight the deeply personal and human aspects of living in a region divided by political boundaries.