Pakistani lesbians who are the first Muslim gay couple to wed in the UK say their lives are endangered if they return home

A pair of Pakistani women have made history as the first Muslim lesbian couple to get married in the UK.

Rehana Kausar, 34, and Sobia Kamar, 29, made history when they tied the knot in a register office civil ceremony, then immediately applied for political asylum after they were wed, claiming their lives would be in danger if they returned to their native country.

Watched by their solicitors and two friends, the pair wore traditional white bridal dresses when they were married in Leeds, West Yorkshire

The pair, from the Lahore and Mirpur regions of Pakistan, said they had received death threats from opponents in Pakistan - where homosexual acts are illegal and considered against Islam.

And since news of their wedding earlier this month spread, the pair claimed they had even received death threats from the UK.

Before the service, even the registrar advised the couple to give serious thought to their decision to marry because of some Muslims’ views on homosexuality.

Kausar said: 'This country allows us rights and it’s a very personal decision that we have taken.

'It’s no one’s business as to what we do with our personal lives.

'The problem with Pakistan is that everyone believes he is in charge of other people’s lives and can best decide about the morals of others but that’s not the right approach and we are in this state because of our clergy who have hijacked our society which was once a tolerant society and respected individuals’ freedoms.'

Ms Kamar, speaking to the Birmingham Mail, described her partner as her 'soul mate' and said the two women were deeply in love.

Pakistani law does not recognise same-sex marriages and there are no laws to stop discrimination.

Both women met in Birmingham as students when they moved to Pakistan from the UK.

They later started living together as a couple in South Yorkshire, where they spent a year before deciding to wed.

A relative said: 'The couple did not have an Islamic marriage ceremony, known as a nikah, as they could not find an Imam to conduct what would have been a controversial ceremony.

'They have been very brave throughout as our religion does not condone homosexuality.

'The couple have had their lives threatened both here and in Pakistan and there is no way they could ever return there.'

Many scholars of Sharia - Islamic - law view homosexuality as a punishable offence.

There is no specific punishment prescribed but in extreme cases gay people can be sentenced to death.