In the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam attack, Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion has become a key priority for the Indian government. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has instructed states to track down and expel Pakistani nationals residing in India immediately.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Friday instructed states to identify individuals under 14 visa categories, such as film, journalism, pilgrimage, and commerce, and ensure their timely return, one day after the government stated that visa services for Pakistani citizens will be suspended. States like Gujarat and Odisha have therefore already started the procedure to guarantee their departure.
The policy, which was implemented in response to the terror assault in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which murdered 26 people, primarily tourists, excludes long-term, diplomatic, and official visas but includes medical and student visas. The MHA issued an order to all states, stating that there are 14 different types of visas. “Visas for business, journalist, film, transit, conferences, mountaineering, students, visitor visas, group tourist visas, pilgrim visas, and group pilgrim visas to minorities of Pakistan have a deadline till April 27, while visas allowed under medical categories have a deadline till April 29.”
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan called for strict adherence to these directives during a video conference with the chief secretaries of all states and UTs on Friday afternoon, according to officials. He told the Chief Secretaries at his meeting that, as of April 27, the Center has revoked all current visas granted to citizens of Pakistan, with the exception of diplomatic, official, and long-term visas. Pakistani nationals’ medical visas would only be good till April 29, according to an official.
Following the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion directive, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration were requested to take appropriate necessary action for compliance, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
According to data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, a total of 1,112 Long-Term Visas (LTVs) were granted to members of minority communities from Pakistan, amid the ongoing Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion focus.
Significantly, the move to suspend visas is part of a series of retaliatory measures India has taken in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion focus. The attack, which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local earlier this week, involved three militants suspected to have come from Pakistan, according to security forces.
In addition to canceling visas, India has taken several retaliatory actions following the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion focus. These include suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations with Pakistan, expelling diplomats and senior defense officials from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, and closing the Attari-Wagah border.
India and Pakistan have a 3,323-kilometer land border that passes through the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as well as the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab. Pakistan has been charged by India with encouraging and aiding separatist violence and militancy on its soil.
According to an official, “all border forces have been directed to increase vigilance and enhance deployment.” Our strategy to combat cross-border infiltration is multifaceted. In order to support proactive anti-terror operations in the Valley, this entails fortifying border infrastructure, implementing multiple security layers along the International Border and Line of Control, adjusting to changing infiltration routes, building and maintaining border fencing and culverts over nullahs, improving security forces’ technology, weapons, and equipment, improving intelligence and operational coordination, installing floodlights along the border, and simplifying intelligence sharing.
Pahalgam Attack Pakistani Nationals Expulsion: Visa Policy Hits Pakistani Visitors, 104 Reported in Kerala
Meanwhile, the visa policy, part of the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion measures, is expected to impact Pakistani citizens currently visiting India for various reasons, including medical tourism. State intelligence sources in Kerala report that 104 Pakistani citizens are currently in the state, with 55 of them on visiting visas.
“We are closely monitoring the activities of all Pakistani nationals, especially those on long-term visas,” one source stated, adding that the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion measures are being followed. “People with long-term visas often have marital ties in Kerala. Of the 104 Pakistani nationals, a large number are in Kannur district in North Kerala. We will be acting on the general instructions from the Centre.”
Twelve Pakistani nationals have received notifications from Odisha, while authorities in Gujarat have guaranteed the departure of a woman who was visiting Bharuch and six more would follow suit in the coming days, according to officials in both states.
In Uttarakhand, Additional Home Secretary Nivedita Kukreti confirmed that three Pakistani nationals were staying on short-term visas, with two having already left the country. “The remaining one has been informed that they need to leave by April 27,” she said, in line with the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion measures.
In Pune, the district administration reported that of the 111 Pakistani citizens identified so far, 90 are on Long-Term Visas (LTVs) and are mostly Hindus. The remaining individuals include those on medical visas, as per officials, in the context of the Pahalgam attack Pakistani nationals expulsion measures.
In the meantime, in response to orders from the Center, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met with the state police. Three Pakistani citizens on short-term visas have been requested to go by April 29, Sawant said at a press conference he subsequently conducted. He also mentioned that there were 17 additional Pakistanis on long-term visas.
