Tunisian woman seeks asylum in Karachi after marriage to Lyari man ends in divorce

A 19-year-old Tunisian woman, Sunda Ayari, approached the Women’s Police Station in Karachi seeking asylum after the heartbreaking end of her love marriage with a local man from Lyari. The couple had fallen in love following an online friendship.

Sunda, a resident of Tunisia in North Africa, arrived in Karachi on November 28, 2024, after falling in love with Muhammad Amir, a resident of Nayabad Khadda Market in Karachi’s Old City area. 

The two had met on social media, and their online friendship soon turned into a romantic relationship. Determined to be together, Sunda obtained a Pakistani visa and travelled to Pakistan to marry Amir.

Upon her arrival at Karachi airport, she was received by Amir and his family. The couple got married the very next day in a small ceremony, and their marriage was officially registered on March 6 at the Union Council Baghdadi in Lyari.

Read: US woman lands in Pakistan to marry online friend

Initially, Sunda said the couple lived happily, but over the past few months, tensions emerged between them over minor disagreements. The situation escalated, leading to Amir divorcing her.

Now left stranded in a foreign land, Sunda says she wishes to return to her home country. However, her 90-day visa expired on February 18, and she cannot leave without either renewing it or obtaining an official exit permit. 

Additionally, she is burdened by financial constraints, needing approximately $400 USD for a return ticket and over Rs. 225,000 for visa renewal procedures.

Earlier, a 27-year-old American citizen Kerinsha Madison Grace, a resident of South Carolina, had been friends with 29-year-old Naeemul Hassan from Jhang through social media for two years. Kerinsha converted to Islam and changed her name to Kaniz Ayesha.