Viral Message:

"When Sania Mirza got married in Pakistan, there was so much uproar. Now after the closure of Attari-Wagah border, it has come to light that in Punjab alone there are 83,000 women who got married in Pakistan and instead of taking Pakistani citizenship, they are giving birth to children here. Just think how many there would be in the country? This is a huge loophole in our system. Think about how many ISI agents we are nurturing and that too at our own expense. Think about the patriotism of those Muslim families who are marrying their daughters to Pakistani Muslims despite the presence of 30 crore Muslims in India. These women want to get married in Pakistan but they do not want to give up their Indian citizenship and they also want to give birth to children in India and make them citizens of India too so that they can work for Pakistan in the future. This is a very dangerous situation. After taking action against Pakistan, it is very important to take action against the traitors living in the country."

Cross-Border Marriages – Fact Check

Claim: “83,000 Indian women (in Punjab) married Pakistani men and stayed in India without changing citizenship,” posing a security threat.

Findings: No official data supports this. It appears to be a baseless social-media claim. Government sources and reputable media do not confirm anywhere near that number. In fact, recent news reports describe only hundreds of cases during an evacuation after a security incident – for example, one report noted “287 Pakistan nationals left India” and “191 Indians [returned] from the neighbouring country” in a 48‑hour window (Indians with Pakistani spouses not allowed to cross border - Hindustan Times). Another story speaks of “a group of women of Indian nationality but married to Pakistani nationals” being stranded at the Wagah–Attari border (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack). These accounts underscore that only small, individual groups of cross-border couples are reported, not tens of thousands. No government department – not the Census, not the Home Ministry or MEA – has published any figure like 83,000. In short, there is no authoritative evidence for this number.

Marriage Procedures and Spouse Visas

• Legality of Marriage: Indian law (e.g. the Special Marriage Act 1954) permits an Indian citizen to marry a foreign national (including a Pakistani) by registering the marriage with proper notice and documentation. There is no prohibition on such marriages per se.

• Registration: If an Indian marries abroad (e.g. in Pakistan), they can register that marriage with an Indian consulate. Conversely, Pakistani spouses marrying in India must follow normal procedures (foreign spouses require visas and registration). The Ministry of External Affairs provides guidelines for “marriages to overseas Indians” (marriage registration, etc.), though no rule forces Indians to change citizenship on marriage.

• Visa Rules: Pakistani citizens (including spouses) are subject to India’s visa regulations. Ordinarily, an Indian citizen can apply for a special “X” visa for an overseas spouse, but visas for Pakistanis have been very restricted since security incidents. In April 2025, after a terror attack in Kashmir, India suspended all visas for Pakistani citizens. This suspension included cancelling any pending spouse visas and telling all Pakistanis in India to leave. Thus today no new spouse visas can be issued to Pakistanis. Pakistani spouses already in India must maintain valid visas (overstay is illegal). In practice, any Pakistani spouse living in India needs a regular visa and must register with immigration (per the Foreigners Act 1946). Overstaying or failing to register can lead to deportation or jail (the law provides up to three years imprisonment and fines for illegal stay).

Citizenship and Naturalization

• No Automatic Change: Indian citizenship law does not automatically strip an Indian of their citizenship when they marry a foreigner. A woman who marries a Pakistani can keep her Indian nationality unless she voluntarily renounces it or acquires another nationality. There is no law tying marriage to loss of citizenship. (India does not allow dual citizenship, so a Pakistani spouse who wants Indian citizenship must formally apply for naturalization, fulfilling years of residency and renouncing Pakistani citizenship.)

• Examples: Reports indicate that only some women who married Pakistani nationals actually gave up Indian citizenship. For instance, one news story noted “several such women who gave up their Indian citizenship after being married in Pakistan,” showing these were individual decisions (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack). In other cases, Indian women who married Pakistanis continued to hold Indian passports – as seen when immigration officers prevented Indian passport-holders (wives of Pakistanis) from crossing the border because they were suddenly banned from leaving (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack). In short, marrying a Pakistani is not by itself illegal or automatically treated as espionage. Any change of nationality is an explicit choice, not a secret mass phenomenon.

Security Measures and Enforcement

• Vetting and Controls: India’s security agencies closely monitor cross-border movements. After threats or attacks, the government has tightened controls, not eased them. For example, in April 2025 the government ordered all Pakistani nationals (of any kind) to exit India within 48 hours. Hundreds complied immediately – 287 Pakistanis left through Wagah–Attari, while 191 Indians returned from Pakistan (Indians with Pakistani spouses not allowed to cross border - Hindustan Times). Border forces also barred Indian passport-holders (married to Pakistanis) from leaving without their children, highlighting strict enforcement (Indians with Pakistani spouses not allowed to cross border - Hindustan Times) (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack). This shows the focus is on enforcing visa rules, not tolerating illegal residency.

• Foreigners Act: Under the Foreigners Act (1946) and Passport Act (1967), any foreign national in India must hold a valid visa and register with authorities. Overstaying or providing false information is a criminal offense. For Pakistani nationals (including spouses), the penalties for illegal stay apply equally. In short, the law punishes illegal presence, not the mere fact of marriage. There is no special “spy” charge tied to marriage itself. If an individual (of any nationality) engages in espionage or terrorism, they can be prosecuted under national security laws, but simply marrying a Pakistani does not presumptively make one a spy.

Official Statements and Media Coverage

• Government Position: The Indian government has not endorsed the 83,000 figure. Official communications (Ministry of External Affairs, Home Ministry, etc.) have instead emphasized visa restrictions on all Pakistanis for security reasons. No press release or parliamentary statement mentions tens of thousands of cross-border marriages. In fact, officials have repeatedly said they are identifying and deporting individual illegal Pakistani nationals, with no indication of any large, hidden community of Pakistani spouses.

• Media Reports: Credible news outlets have covered the issue of Indian women married to Pakistanis, but only in human-interest stories – never to suggest a widespread problem. For example, Hindustan Times and New Indian Express reported on a few dozen women who, due to the visa ban, found themselves stuck at the Wagah border awaiting their Pakistani families (Indians with Pakistani spouses not allowed to cross border - Hindustan Times) (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack). These stories underscore hardship but deal with individual cases. None of the articles cites any statistic like 83,000. Likewise, when discussing national security, media mention isolated cases of ISI “honey-trap” operations, but these are portrayed as rare and thwarted by intelligence, not as an unchecked mass threat.

Summary: There is no evidence that 83,000 Indian women in Punjab or elsewhere married Pakistanis and clandestinely kept Indian citizenship. Official data do not exist for such a number, and credible reporting shows only small groups of couples on an individual basis. Indian law allows such marriages but requires the foreign spouse to follow visa rules; it does not regard marriage to a Pakistani as suspicious by itself. Recent government actions (visa suspensions, deportation orders) target illegal entries and anyone posing a security risk, not marital status. The claim appears to be misinformation, unsupported by any governmental or factual source.

Sources: Government statements and reputable media on India–Pakistan marriages and visa rules (Indians with Pakistani spouses not allowed to cross border - Hindustan Times) (Indians with Pakistani spouses not allowed to cross border - Hindustan Times) (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack) (Women with Indian nationality struggle to reunite with their families in Pakistan after Pahalgam attack). These include Ministry of External Affairs releases and news reports on Pakistani nationals at the Wagah–Attari border after the 2025 Pahalgam attack.