His Pakistani wife Silvia Noreen finally reached Hubballi, his hometown, on Thursday . He had been running from pillar to post to get a sponsorship certificate signed by an Indian gazetted officer for Silvia. A few days later, Daniel returned home to begin the proceeding to bring her to India and had been struggling ever since. She stayed in Delhi for a week with Daniel and his family members who had come to welcome her. In a desperate attempt, he tweeted to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj seeking help, following which Silvia was given a visitor visa. Silvia finally flew from Islamabad to New Delhi on April 19.
HUBBALLI: It`s celebration time for Daniel Henry Devanur and his family . His Pakistani wife Silvia Noreen finally reached Hubballi, his hometown, on Thursday . Silvia was staying in Pakistan ever since the couple got married in Lahore last June owing to delay in getting a visa.
She has been given a visa for three months and has been asked to keep extending it for the next two years with valid documents.
Daniel, an employee of mobile firm and a resident of Basaveshwarnagar`s Gudi plot, married his distant relative Silvia at a Pentecostal church in Lahore on June 25, 2016. The couple later got their marriage registered at a Pakistani court. A few days later, Daniel returned home to begin the proceeding to bring her to India and had been struggling ever since. He had been running from pillar to post to get a sponsorship certificate signed by an Indian gazetted officer for Silvia. In a desperate attempt, he tweeted to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj seeking help, following which Silvia was given a visitor visa.
Silvia finally flew from Islamabad to New Delhi on April 19. She stayed in Delhi for a week with Daniel and his family members who had come to welcome her.
"I`m lucky to have my wife back. We are together nine months after our marriage. I have been through a tough time in the past months. Officers were not keen to sign the sponsorship certificate for Silvia. She has been given a visa for three months but I won`t let her go back to Pakistan and keep extending her visa till she gets Indian citizenship," Daniel said. He appealed to the government to help him get Indian citizenship for wife.
An elated Silvia said, "I stayed in Pakistan for nine months after our marriage as I couldn`t get a visa. When I landed in Delhi, I was extremely happy to see Daniel and my in-laws. I was emotional when I reached Hubballi. I won`t go back to Pakistan. I request the authorities to help me stay and spend rest of my life with my husband here."
Daniel`s parents Jennifer and Simon said their son was under tremendous pressure and tension when there was an inordinate delay in getting a visa for Silvia. "We would tell him that one day she will come to India. My daughter in-law is finally here. We are extremely happy," they said."We request government to award her Indian citizenship soon as possible," they added.
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