As the central government announced the immediate closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP), the influx and efflux of people at the renowned Indo-Pakistan border continued on Monday.
A resident of Amarkot district in Pakistan was seen at the Attari border, leaving with his family.
“I stayed here for four months with one of my relatives. We are returning since there are orders, and we don’t have a long-term visa. What happened (in Pahalgam) is wrong, and we are paying for it (because of the terrorists). It will be good if both countries work together,” he said.
This comes as the Indian government has revoked all existing visas issued to Pakistani nationals, except for long-term and diplomatic visas.
Meanwhile, a total of 537 Pakistani nationals have left India through the Attari border over the past three days after the deadline for short-term visa holders ended on Sunday, according to an official.
Speaking to ANI, Arun Pal, a protocol officer at the Attari Border, stated that 850 Indian nationals have returned to India in the past three days. He added that on Sunday alone, 237 Pakistani nationals returned to their country, while 116 Indian nationals came back.
“Custom immigration counters opened at 10 am.
Before the counters closed, 237 Pakistani Nationals returned to Pakistan from India, and 116 Indian Nationals returned from Pakistan. From April 24, 537 Pakistani Nationals have returned to Pakistan, and 850 Indian Nationals have returned to India.
According to the latest information, Pakistani passport holders have until April 29 to cross the border. The same applies to Indian passport holders,” Pal said.
A Pakistani national returning to Pakistan via Attari Border said, “We came to visit Nagpur and since our visa expired, we are going back. Someone else is being punished for someone else’s deeds. Whatever happened in Pahalgam was wrong and innocents should not have been tortured.”
The Indian government on Friday revoked all categories of visas issued to Pakistani citizens, except long-term, diplomatic, and official visas, with immediate effect from April 27.
The Union government’s decision to suspend visa services for Pakistani nationals followed the Pahalgam terror attack.
The terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on tourists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, including one Nepalese national, who were brutally gunned down.
The incident happened around 2 pm at Baisaran meadow, near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
It was one of the deadliest attacks in the region since the 2019 Pulwama strike, which claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans. (ANI)
