Mahendra Singh was all set to tie the knot with Chagan Kanwar on 8 March in a cross-border wedding. However, continuing tensions between India and Pakistan meant that their wedding has had to be cancelled.
ANI reports that while Singh is from the border district of Barmer in Rajasthan, Kanwar is from the Amarkot district in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Singh was supposed to travel to Pakistan last Saturday, but was unable to as the Thar Express was not allowed to journey to the neighbouring country.
Singh and Kanwar are reported to have been engaged for three years and their wedding date was fixed a month ago. Singh and five other family members had also gotten their visas after much hassle.
Singh told ANI, “We faced a lot of issues in getting visas. I spoke to (minister) Gajendra Singh for getting the visas for Pakistan. It was only because of him that we were able to get visas for five people. We had made all preparations and distributed invitation cards to the relatives.”
India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads for the past 15 days since a terrorist suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama. India carried out “pre-emptive, non-military” airstrikes in Pakistan’s Balakot last week.
While the situation seems to have de-escalated, tensions are still simmering at the border, with both sides accusing each other of ceasefire violations.
In light of the tensions, Singh said the wedding will be held at a better time. “We will now plan the marriage during a peaceful time,” Singh told the Hindustan Times.