"Punished For Someone Else's Deeds...": Pakistanis Leaving India After Pahalgam
Pakistan nationals continue to be ejected from India nearly a week after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including civilians and tourists.
According to reports nearly 700 have left through the Attari-Wagah border crossing alone since Thursday, including tourists and those who came to India for medical treatment. Many recognise they have no choice, but expressed sorrow and even questioned the circumstances.
One woman, before crossing the Attari-Wagah border, said she had gone to visit Nagpur in Maharashtra. She also pointed out she was being 'punished' for another's sin.
"... we are going back, but someone else is being punished for someone else's deeds. What happened in Pahalgam was wrong... innocents were killed," she told news agency ANI.
A resident of Pak's Amarkot, a man told ANI he had been staying with a relative in Punjab since January, made a similar observation. "We are returning since there are orders and since we don't have a long-term visa. What happened in Pahalgam was wrong.. but we are paying for it."
"It will be good if both countries work together," he said, underlining the emotion felt by the 'aam aadmi' on both sides of the border, that they would be better served by the exchange of peace, harmony, and trade, rather than gunfire, bombs, and terrorist attacks.
India suspended visas for Pak nationals in the aftermath of the April 22 attack - the worst since 40 soldiers were killed in J&K's Pulwama in February 2019. The suspension was part of a diplomatic counteroffensive that included a temporary stay on the critical Indus Waters Treaty.
READ | Pakistanis Arriving At Wagah Border Before Deadline To Leave India
That suspension came into effect Sunday, meaning that any Pak national who continues to remain in India could be jailed for three years or face a maximum fine of Rs 3 lakh.
On Friday Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asked chief ministers of all states to identify and deport Pak nationals living, or staying, in their respective jurisdictions.
READ | Identify All Pakistanis In India, Send Them Back: Amit Shah's Order To States
Pak has responded with similar diktats, forcing Indian nationals to leave - over 850 have crossed back since Thursday, a border official told ANI - and suspending the Simla Agreement.
With input from agencies
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