Deadline for Pakistanis to leave India expires today!
New Delhi, Apr 27 (EFE).-
The deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave India expired on Sunday, following the Indian government’s decision to revoke visas issued to Pakistani nationals after a deadly terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Indian authorities have begun identifying Pakistani citizens who must depart, amid growing diplomatic tensions after India accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack, which killed 26 people.
However, holders of diplomatic and long-term visas have been permitted to remain in India, while those on medical visas have been given until Apr. 29 to leave.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, long-term visas are typically issued to Pakistani citizens from minority religious communities and to Pakistani women married to Indian nationals.
The situation has led to a sharp rise in traffic at the Attari-Wagah border, the only official land crossing between India and Pakistan. Movement has increased in both directions, as Islamabad has also suspended SAARC visas for Indian citizens effective Sunday.
Regional authorities in India have warned Pakistani nationals to comply with the exit deadline or face forced expulsion.
“They (Pakistani citizens) are being identified and police officials have been instructed to ensure that no Pakistani national stays in Maharashtra (…),” regional Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the ANI news agency.
“Action will be taken against Pakistani nationals who overstay,” he added.
The two countries have been locked in a severe diplomatic crisis following the Apr. 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 people, mostly tourists—including one Nepali national—were killed.
India has blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, amid Islamabad’s long-standing alleged backing of armed insurgency in the disputed region.
In addition to the visa suspensions, both countries have closed their land borders and ordered the expulsion of diplomats.
India has also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark agreement regulating the sharing of rivers between the two historically hostile neighbors. EFE
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