Javeria Khanum entered India on Tuesday via the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar.

2023, A Love Story: Many moons ago, Keki N Daruwalla wrote the epic love story, albeit a fiction based on the real, authentic, and passionate human emotion of love, “Love Across the Salt Desert”. This small love story had such a huge impact that it became part of the school syllabus. Love Across the Salt Desert captured the essence of true love and demonstrated that love transcends all human barriers, in this case, the India-Pakistan international border.

Now we have an ultra-fresh “affair of the heart”.

This one involves Javeria Khanum from Pakistan and Kolkata-based Sameer Khan from India who are all set to get married in January.

Javeria Khanum entered India on Tuesday via the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar.

Sameer’s first tryst with Javeria happened five years ago when he returned to Kolkata from Germany. At home, he came across his mom’s phone, and as luck would have it, he saw Javeria’s picture, and boy, it was love at the very first frame (usually we say sight) for him. Sameer told his mom that he wanted to marry her and she sent the proposal to Javeria’s mother in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail, and guess what, both families agreed. So far so good.

The twist in this love story was about to happen.

Javeria applied for a visa to travel to India but for whatever reason the Indian High Commission rejected her application twice. If that was not enough, the Covid pandemic enveloped the world in 2020, and it further delayed the happy ending.

Not the one to be dejected by being visa rejected, Javeria applied again and finally got it and as mentioned, crossed the India-Pakistan international border at the Attari-Wagah crossing in Amritsar on Tuesday where Sameer welcomed her with a bouquet and mellifluous (read thunderous) beats of “dhol” at the border.

“Our families agreed to the marriage but we were trying to get a visa. I thank the Government of India for granting me a 45-day visa. We have been in a relationship for the past five years, and I was trying to secure a visa for a long time and finally, it happened. Everyone back home was very happy,” Javeria was quoted as saying by ANI.

“I’m feeling very happy. The moment I entered India, everyone congratulated me, and I was getting love from everyone. I felt happy seeing the grand welcome I received. I still can’t believe this,” she added.

If you take a look at the X accounts of Sameer and Javeria then you will see a series of Xs and reposts seeking help from the Indian government with the visa.

After the trials and tribulations, Sameer had a message to convey which he did via media as he said, “I am very happy and surprised to see her, you can see it on my face. I want to thank the Indian government and Mr Maqbool, who helped us in the visa process. Both countries helped us a lot to come together. When intentions are clear then no such thing as a border can come in between love, and this is an example.

“I wish both governments introduce a special visa for couples who want to get married and help them. The security concerns are important, I respect that but there should be a special category.”