As many as 627 Pakistani nationals, including nine diplomats and officials, have left India since Thursday through the Attari-Wagah border point as the exit deadline for the 12 categories of short-term visa holders of the neighbouring nation ended Sunday, officials said.
A total of 756 Indians, including 14 diplomats and officials, have returned from Pakistan through the international border crossing. The ‘Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in Pahalgam of Kashmir on April 22.
On the fourth consecutive day, Indian and Pakistani nationals crossed the international border at Attari-Wagah check post. On Sunday, 237 of Pakistan crossed over to their country while 115 Indian nationals came from the neighbouring country.
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On Thursday (April 24), 115 Indians left Pakistan while 28 Pakistanis left India. On April 25, 287 of Pakistan and 191 of India returned to their houses. On Saturday, 75 Pakistani nationals crossed into Pakistan from India. Similarly, 335 Indian nationals returned.
The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline is April 29. The 12 categories of visas whose holders had to leave India by Sunday were — visa on arrival, business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrim.
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Three defence/military, naval and air advisers in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared persona non grata and they got one week to leave India.
Made to return after a day: Pak woman
A Pakistani woman, who came in an auto-rickshaw at the Attari integrated check post (ICP), was seen crying while interacting with the media. Married in Pakistan 28 years ago, she said she reached Allahabad after a gap of five years on Friday, completed her formalities on Saturday but was asked to leave India. “I was not even allowed to meet my family properly. I could not even mourn over the grave of my mother. My brother and nephew passed away in five years,” she said.
Being punished for no fault: Pak bride’s family
A newly married pregnant woman, Maria, from Pakistan’s Gujranwala, who got married to one Sonu Masih of Sathiali village in Gurdaspur on July 8, 2024, has been told by Gurdaspur cops to leave the country as she is yet to receive the long-term visa (LTV) from India. “Why are we being punished? I struggled a lot to bring her to India. After the marriage, we immediately applied for her LTV visa and have been waiting for its approval,” Masih said, adding that Maria, pregnant for seven months, must be exempted.
Maria said, “I had a love marriage. Before the marriage, we spoke over the phone for six years. We waited a long time to meet each other. I don’t want to leave my husband.”
A social worker, P Maqbool Ahmed, who helps the Pak brides in Qadian area of Gurdaspur, said the woman was pregnant so she should be given exemption as she already has applied for an LTV.
