LAHORE: The interior ministry on Monday granted 6-month visa extension to Sikh Pilgrim Kiran Bala, who converted to Islam and married a local in Lahore last week. The interior minister, on directions of the Lahore High Court (LHC), summoned Kiran (Amina Bibi) and husband Muhammad Azam along with the applicant’s passport. Upon receiving the copy of Kiran’s passport and verifying current visa deadline, the interior ministry granted a 6-month extension to the applicant. Kiran (Amina Bibi) expressed great pleasure upon being granted the extension and hoped that she would be granted permanent residency soon. In an earlier statement, it was said that Kiran Bala would have to apply for a visa extension every 6 months for the first 7 years of her stay in the country. It was further said that after 7 years, the applicant would be granted permanent residency and the Pakistani passport if all necessary conditions are met.