Pakistanis Start Arriving At Wagah Border Before Deadline To Leave India
Pakistani nationals have started arriving at the Wagah-Attari border in Amritsar ahead of their deadline to leave India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead in a tourist hotspot known as a 'Mini Switzerland' in Jammu and Kashmir.
India had suspended visa services for Pakistanis in a strong response after the ghastly attack, providing a Sunday deadline to such visa-holders to leave. The medical visas are valid till Tuesday. Pakistan, too, has suspended SAARC visas for Indians.
The decision has left Pakistani citizens in India preparing for their journey back home. Merely a kilometre from the India-Pakistan border, NDTV saw families waiting to cross over to the other side.
The Wagah border, which was the sole permissible trade route between the two countries, has also been shut. This means a stop on the border ceremony that drew a huge number of tourists on both sides.
Speaking to NDTV, a Pakistani national said, "I am going back to Pakistan. I received the information that this (terror attack) occurred in Kashmir, and I was asked to leave India within 48 hours. So, I am leaving."
Indian authorities have also geared up for the movement of Pakistani nationals back to their country. In Uttar Pradesh, authorities have started the process to send back Pakistanis living in different cities.
No formal orders have been received from the central government, but directions have been sent to all districts from the police headquarters to start with the formalities, said Director General of Police Prashant Kumar. The details of Pakistani citizens who had come to UP on various types of visas are being collected, he added.
A meeting was also held in this regard at the residence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath late last night. Sanjay Prasad, Principal Secretary in the Home Department, and DGP Kumar also attended.
India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of being a "global epicentre of terrorism" that provides a haven to terrorists. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Delhi raised its fingers at Islamabad again. It suspended the decades-old Indus Water Treaty, a crucial water-sharing agreement between the two countries, citing "sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting Jammu and Kashmir". In response, Pakistan too has suspended all bilateral pacts with India, including the Simla agreement of 1972.
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