Rajkot (Gujarat): Amid tensions between India and Pakistan following the modification of Article 370, two Hindu couples from Pakistan tied the knot on Saturday in Gujarat. The couples belonged to the Maheshwari community and have travelled all the way from Karachi to Rajkot to get married.
The marriages were organised by the Rajkot Maheshwari Samaj.
Youth president of Rajkot Maheshwari Samaj, Bhavesh Maheshwari, said that the organisation has helped more than 90 couples from Pakistan, mostly from Karachi, to tie the knot and settle down in India.
"The couples who got married on Saturday too plan to stay on in India," he said.
"Last year we organised marriages of 15 couples from Pakistan, this year two couples came. In most cases both the groom and the bride come from Pakistan," he said.
"People from our community are a harassed lot in that country. Hindus find it hard to live in Pakistan. Their life is always at risk. In Pakistan, their marriages happen to be a low-key matter. Here we arrange marriages with great pomp and show, like marriages, should be," he added.
"Around 3,000 Maheshwari families live in Karachi," he said.
"Most of them obtain a long-term visa for India and keep renewing it (after arrival in India) in order to live here," he said.
Anil Maheshwari, a bridegroom who came from Karachi, said that a lot of people from the community who were left behind in Pakistan during Partition want to settle down in India.
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