Barmer (Rajasthan) [India]: The centuries-old tradition of cross-border marriages among the Sodha community—connecting Hindu families in Pakistan’s Sindh province with those in India’s Rajasthan—is now under threat due to rising geopolitical tensions and new policy decisions by the Indian government following the Pahalgam terror attack.
For decades, Sodha families from Sindh, Pakistan, have turned to western Rajasthan for matrimonial alliances, adhering to the Hindu practice that prohibits marriage within the same gotra. However, with the tightening of cross-border travel regulations, these cultural bonds now face an uncertain future.
Ram Singh Sodha, who migrated to India 19 years ago and became a citizen five years back, highlighted the importance of these ties:
“In Hindu tradition, marriage within the same gotra is not allowed. Since almost all Hindu families in Sindh share the same gotra, we look to Rajasthan for suitable matches,” he said, mentioning that he got married in Jodhpur.
Madan Singh Sodha, who moved to India in 2007 at the age of 22 and married in Jaipur, now lives as an Indian citizen. Both he and Ram Singh emphasized the challenges faced by the Hindu minority in Pakistan, particularly in accessing education for girls, and praised the safety and opportunity they have found in India.
“India offers prosperity, employment, democracy, and a sense of safety,” said Madan.
Activist Hindu Singh Sodha, who works with migrant families, voiced concerns over growing instability in Pakistan:
“Terrorism will one day tear Pakistan apart. It will be divided into pieces,” he said, pointing to the suffering of marginalized Hindu communities like the Meghwal and Bhil in Sindh, many of whom are forced into bonded labour and face systemic neglect.
Meanwhile, Anwar Singh Sodha shared the rarity of finding suitable marriage matches within Pakistan:
“There’s only one village in Sindh where around 200 Sisodia gotra families live, and that’s the only place Sodhas can find marriage matches within Pakistan,” he noted.
This delicate social fabric now faces disruption as the Indian government, responding to the Pahalgam terror attack, implements a series of strict policy measures. Authorities have ordered the deportation of Pakistani nationals, including individuals who had been residing in India for years due to cross-border marriages. This has caused distress among affected families, who are now appealing to the government for reconsideration.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, addressing the fallout from the Pahalgam incident, detailed key actions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS):
“The Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi are declared Persona Non Grata. They have a week to leave India. India will withdraw its Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.”
He further announced:
“The Integrated Check Post at Attari will be closed with immediate effect. Those who have crossed over with valid endorsements may return through that route before May 1, 2025.”
Additional decisions include the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably abjures” support for terrorism, and the cancellation of all SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas for Pakistani nationals. Anyone in India under such a visa must leave within 48 hours.
The strength of both High Commissions is also set to be reduced from 55 to 30 by May 1, 2025. The CCS emphasized heightened vigilance and vowed justice:
“It resolved that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account,” Misri said.
The Pahalgam terror attack has emerged as one of the most severe incidents since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, prompting widespread security operations in the region.