Pak brides face ‘Tebbit’ dilemma
AP SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2004 03:49:24 PM ]
LUCKNOW: As India and Pakistan kicked off their groundbreaking cricket series on Saturday, Pakistani brides married into Indian homes watched with divided loyalties, and anxiety about the violence that can erupt in homes after such encounters.
“I really do not know whom to support - my adopted country or the country where I was born,” said Kehkahan Siddiqui, a Pakistani married into an Indian family in the northern Indian city of Lucknow.
“I love both the countries. I belong to both India and Pakistan,” she said in a choked voiced. “I wish both the countries would win… there should not be any loser.”
Lucknow is one of the cities in Hindu-majority India, where Hindus and Muslims live together in large numbers. Thousands of Indian Muslims have families and relatives across the border in Pakistan.
“If you ask me, I do not want India to play any cricket match with Pakistan… It is full of tension and regardless of the result, it leaves me saddened after every match,” said Salma Siddiqui, who married a teacher in the northern city of Lucknow in 1986.