'Nothing...left for us in Pakistan': Families in India facing deportation
What's the story
Many Pakistani Hindu families are reeling from the possibility of being deported to Pakistan after a recent order by the Indian government.
The order mandating Pakistani nationals without valid Long Term Visas (LTVs) to leave India by April 27 has left many families hopeless.
They had sold their properties and businesses in Pakistan in the hope of a better future in India.
Impact
Directive follows terrorist attack in Pahalgam
The order follows a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed. The Indian government has pointed to Pakistan's involvement in the attack.
They had come to India hoping for safety and opportunities, but now their future seems uncertain.
The CID-Crime Branch (CID-CB) office in Barmer has been flooded with Pakistani Hindu families approaching for assistance to legalize their stay. They are hurrying to complete paperwork and collect required documents for the same.
Appeals
Families plead for assistance to stay in India
According to a Hindustan Times report, an 18-member Hindu family that recently arrived from Sindh province on April 19 visited the CID-CB office and pleaded with officials to allow them to stay in India.
"We arrived on April 19 on a 45-day visa to visit relatives. Before coming, we sold everything we had in Pakistan," Suresh of the family said.
"Our extended family is already settled here...We have applied for LTVs so we can stay here permanently."
Efforts
Other families also seek permanent settlement in India
"What happened in Pahalgam is tragic, but we have nothing to do with it....We request the government to allow us to stay in India," Suresh said.
Other families across Barmer are making similar appeals.
Four Hindu families comprising 33 members reached Barmer alone in April after crossing through the Attari border.
They had also sold their homes, lands, and businesses in Pakistan before migrating to India for a fresh start.
Deportation proceedings
Authorities to initiate deportation proceedings against non-compliant Pakistani nationals
Now that the April 27 deadline is over, authorities are going to start deportation proceedings against Pakistani nationals who haven't left India within the stipulated time or don't hold valid visa extensions.
An official from the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) confirmed this, saying they have asked Pakistani nationals to leave India before the deadline.
"Any Pakistani national who fails to leave India within the stipulated time...will be compulsorily deported," Barmer SP Narendra Singh Meena said.