Pakistani nationals flocked to the Attari-Wagah border on Thursday, a day after India suspended the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas on Wednesday, a day after a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam district killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
The Indian government cancelled all issued visas to Pakistani nationals and directed them to leave the country before or by April 27. The Centre also expelled Pakistan’s top military attaches in India by declaring them as ‘persona non grata’. They have a week to exit the country.
These decisions were taken after a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, took note of the cross-border links with regards to the Pahalgam terror attacks.
Pakistani nationals at the Attari border
While the Attari-Wagah border has been closed following the CCS meeting, Pakistani nationals who were in India under the SVES visa started leaving the country on Thursday.
Punjab Police Protocol Officer Arun Mahal told ANI that so far a total of 28 Pakistanis had exited India and 105 Indians had returned through the border. “The government of India has taken very strict decisions. The gates at the Attari-Wagah integrated checkpost were not opened and the parade was done in the respective areas. A total of 28 Pakistani nationals left for Pakistan from the Attari border and 105 Indian nationals have returned from Pakistan. There has been an impact on the number of tourists,” Mahal said.
A family from Karachi said they had gone to Delhi to meet their relatives.
“We came here (India) on April 15 and today we are returning home though we had a visa for 45 days,” said Shaikh Fazal Ahmad, a member of the family.
Responding to a question on the Pahalgam attack, Ahmad told PTI, “Whosoever has done it is completely wrong. We want mutual brotherhood and friendship between the two nations. There should be no place for hatred. We don’t want hatred.”
Another Pakistani national named Mansoor said he along with his family came to India on a 90-day visa on April 15.
“But we are returning home today,” Mansoor said, as he condemned the Pahalgam attack, saying it shouldn’t have happened.
Flag-lowering ceremony at Attari-Wagah border
The flag-lowering ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border was held without opening the gates, an ANI report said. The Integrated Check-Post (ICP) at the Attari-Wagah border was shut after the CCS meeting on Wednesday evening.
Some Indians with valid visa documents also reached the ICP on Thursday to enter Pakistan. An Indian man, a resident of Rajasthan, was also scheduled to cross the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar on Thursday. Shaitan Singh told ANI that he was going to Pakistan for his wedding. “What the terrorists have done is wrong…We are not being allowed to go (to Pakistan) as the border is closed…Let us see what will happen now,” he said.
“We got the visa two months back,” said an elderly member of a Gujarati family intending to meet their relatives in Karachi. The central government on Wednesday said that those who have crossed over to Pakistan with valid documents may return through that route before May 1.
(With inputs from agencies)
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