Gates closed, scores show up at Attari in hope of crossing over
After days of emotional reunions and goodbyes involving those whose visas were suspended in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Attari-Wagah Integrated Check-Post remained completely shut on Thursday.
Not a single Pakistani citizen was allowed to cross over, nor did any Indian national enter from the other side. The Ministry of Home Affairs had ordered to halt the movement of passengers and goods through Attari by April 30.
Still, nearly 40 persons arrived at Attari from various parts of the country for deportation to Pakistan. Among them were sisters Saida Zameer Fatima and Saida Saheer Fatima, who were accompanied by their cousin Murawat Hussain Shah and the police from Rajouri.
As the elderly sisters clutched his hands, Murawat said they had arrived in India in 1983 on valid visas after the death of their father and brother, their sole caretakers in Pakistan. “They have no one left in Pakistan. Whatever they have is here in India. They don’t want to leave,” said Murawat, his voice choking with emotion.
Another heart-wrenching case was that of a woman from Karachi, whose child had an Indian passport while she carried a Pakistani one. “Either allow me to stay here or let my four-year-old son accompany me to Pakistan,” pleaded the woman, sobbing uncontrollably.
Also waiting in anguish was Delhi resident Mohammad Shariq, who arrived at Attari to see his sisters Nabeela Raj and Sharmin Irfan off to Pakistan. Married in the neighbouring nation, the women had come to India on a 45-day visa to visit their ailing mother. “Our children are waiting for us. Please allow us to return,” the sisters pleaded with the security officials at the ICP.
Among others was a group of Pakistani Hindu nationals, who were on a visit to Haridwar to perform the last rites of their relatives. A taxi breakdown caused them to miss the deadline by a few hours, leaving them stranded on this side of the border.
After waiting for several hours, none received any response from the authorities at Attari. “No one is allowed to leave or enter the country. The gates are closed—don’t know till when,” said an ICP official.
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