Pakistanis Begin Arriving On Wagah Border Ahead Of Deadline To Depart India
India had stopped all visa facilities to Pakistani nationals as a strong retaliatory measure after the attack at Pahalgam.
Attari:
Pakistani nationals have begun arriving at the Wagah-Attari border in Amritsar before their deadline to depart India following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians in a tourist destination described as a ‘Mini Switzerland’ in Jammu and Kashmir.
India had withdrawn visa services for Pakistanis in a firm reaction following the horrific attack, giving such visa-holders a Sunday deadline to depart. The medical visas are available until Tuesday. Pakistan has also withdrawn SAARC visas for Indians.
The move has put Pakistani nationals residing in India on alert and making necessary preparations to head back home. Just a kilometre from the India-Pakistan border, NDTV witnessed families queuing up to travel to the other side.
The Wagah border that was the only authorized trade route between the two nations has also been closed. It resulted in a halt on the border ceremony that attracted a large number of tourists on both sides.
Pakistani national said, “I am going back to Pakistan. I got the news that this (terror attack) happened in Kashmir, and I was ordered to leave India within 48 hours. So, I am leaving.”
Indian authorities have also prepared for the return of Pakistani nationals to their nation. In Uttar Pradesh, authorities have initiated the procedure to repatriate Pakistanis residing in various cities.
No official orders have been issued by the state government, but instructions have been issued to all districts from police headquarters to begin with the procedures, Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said. The information of Pakistani nationals who had visited UP on different kinds of visas is being gathered, he added.
A meeting was also conducted in this context at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath‘s residence late last night. Sanjay Prasad, Principal Secretary to the Home Department, and DGP Kumar were also present.
India has time and again accused Pakistan of being a “global epicentre of terrorism” which offers a sanctuary to terrorists. After the Pahalgam attack, Delhi once again pointed its fingers at Islamabad. It suspended the centuries-old Indus Water Treaty, a vital water-sharing treaty between the two nations, on grounds of “sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting Jammu and Kashmir”. Pakistan too has suspended all bilateral agreements with India, including the Simla agreement of 1972, in retaliation.
