A 69-year-old Pakistani man, Abdul Waheed, died of cardiac arrest in Amritsar while awaiting deportation after overstaying his visa for 17 years. He had been brought from Srinagar by Jammu and Kashmir Police for repatriation.
A 69-year-old Pakistani national, Abdul Waheed, died of cardiac arrest in Amritsar on Wednesday while awaiting deportation, officials said. Waheed had been living in India for the past 17 years and was found to be overstaying on an expired visa. He was brought to Amritsar from Srinagar by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for his scheduled repatriation to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, 224 individuals holding No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) visas, comprising both Indian and Pakistani nationals, crossed over to India through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari border. Among them, 139 Pakistani nationals returned to Pakistan.
One of the returnees, 35-year-old Monika Rajani, a Pakistani passport holder with NORI and Long Term Visa (LTV), crossed into India along with her five-year-old daughter, Saimara, who was born in India. “I crossed over from Pakistan in panic, fearing the ICP might be closed anytime,” she said. Rajani, who belongs to a Hindu family, married a Hindu man from Vijayawada nine years ago. “My husband and in-laws were waiting for me here.”
She recounted reaching India at 3 pm and spending nearly three hours undergoing customs and immigration procedures. “It was especially difficult for children travelling with their mothers due to the scorching heat,” she added. Before heading to Vijayawada, Rajani said her family would visit the Golden Temple.
The cross-border movements come amid heightened tensions following last week’s terror attack in Pahalgam. In response, the Centre announced a series of measures, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan, and directing all Pakistani nationals on short-term visas to leave India or face legal action.
(With PTI inputs)
