MUMBAI: Seema Ghulam Haider and Sachin Meena in a way prove that love knows no boundary. In the news recently, Seema, a Pakistani married woman, who fell in love with Sachin, an Indian, travelled all the way here to reunite with him. They met over an online game. From being detained for illegal immigration, facing allegations that she must be a spy, to getting married and now reportedly a film is being made on them, this love story seems to have touched many. Also, Seema is a mother of four. Actor-turned-humanitarian Somy Ali, who now runs her NGO, No More Tears, on whether the Government of India should give Seema citizenship.

“I have no qualms of Seema leaving an abusive relationship and entering India without proper documents given she did not have a choice. And even if the marriage was not abusive it’s her right to go and be with whomever she chooses to do so. My concern is solely for the children because this traumatises them severely and this is where Seema is being selfish by bringing her very young children to an unknown territory and forcing them to assimilate and adapt to not only a new country, but a new culture, language, and religion. This will inevitably confuse the children to no end and as a mother, Seema's priorities should be her children's well-being above all else because I wouldn't deem this to be pure love given they met and conversed via an online video game.  Therefore, I do not hold Seema responsible for leaving a bad marriage or falling for another man because she was not happy with her current situation. Nor do I care that she has converted to Hinduism from Islam. That's her choice and it's a beautiful gesture I believe to show how much she cares for Sachin. This is not a matter of Seema being a spy or falling in love with Sachin, and it's simply not a matter of conversion from one religion to another as that's her prerogative. This is a matter of the damage it will cause the children's psyche as well separating them from their father,” she says.

Somy continues on the same and even asks an eminent question. “Was Seema's husband abusive to the children as well given her claims that her husband was abusive to her? If the answer is yes, then by all means I fully support the separation of the children who abused his own kids.  As far as I see it, there is no crime here because Seema is not a spy, but simply fell in love or infatuation whatever you want to call it and even converted to her lover's religion which is significantly admirable and beautiful,” she adds.

Being an activist, Somy’s mind keeps going back to the children and their mental state because they are the ones who will suffer severely with an astronomical dosage of uncertainty and an identity crisis.

“I know this because as a child I spent nine years of my life in Pakistan then moved to the US and then to India and years later back to the US. That can really mess you up emotionally because it made me wonder which country do I actually belong to? Conclusively Seema falling in love with another man or entering India however she could is not at all a crime in my eyes because I have been against the separation of both the nations since I was a teenager and faced the wrath of being a Pakistani born young girl acting in Hindi films. In my eyes the priority should be giving immediate counseling to those four children before they are further traumatized. Not to mention their mindset is nothing, but filled with bafflement. I don't comprehend how quickly both Pakistan and India are so quick to deem a person from other countries entering theirs to be a spy. It's quite hysterical in terms of their thought process and I mean both, Pakistan and India are equally responsible for this mindset. Last, but not least, leave Seema and Sachin be and focus on the children's psyche by providing them with therapy and a great deal of love and care. Because if they do not receive that they will be in a state of confusion and start to slowly break just like damaged goods,” she explains.