Many head home as deportation halted over paperwork issues

Several Pakistani nationals who were sent from the Kashmir Valley to the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab for deportation have returned, as officials cited “multiple reasons” for their non-deportation.

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir began deporting Pakistani nationals earlier this week following a directive from the Central government, instructing states to identify and remove Pakistani nationals residing illegally within their jurisdictions.

Over 50 individuals were transported to the Attari border in police buses. However, not all were able to cross into Pakistan.

A resident of Uri in north Kashmir said his wife and two children were among those sent for deportation. However, due to the loss of their passports in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, they were unable to provide the required documentation and were sent back from Attari. “They said passports were necessary. We returned on Friday,” he said.

Another resident from Srinagar, whose wife and two-year-old son were also sent for deportation, said his wife, a Pakistani national, returned on Friday. “We were deeply worried for our child, who holds an Indian passport and was not allowed to accompany his mother,” he said. “Apparently, she was sent back on the basis of marriage grounds. She also has a valid Long Term Visa, but we still don’t fully understand the reasons.”

Officials confirmed that several others had also returned. A senior government official stated that only those Pakistani nationals listed in the database of the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO), which monitors the entry and exit of foreign nationals, were sent to Attari.

Political leaders in Kashmir have called for a more compassionate approach. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said it raised “serious humanitarian concerns, particularly in Jammu & Kashmir.”

On Friday, Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also expressed concern over the deportation drive. He warned that it was leading to the separation of families, with mothers being separated from their young children and husbands from wives.

Mirwaiz appealed to the Union government to reconsider its policy.

J & K