Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) [India], April 25 (ANI): The Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed 26 lives, has devastating implications for the Pakistani nationals living in the border villages of Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, who had been living in India on short-term and long-term visas.
The central government’s directions for Pakistani nationals who entered India on a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) visa to leave the country have created chaos among commoners, especially those living on short-term visas.
In Jaisalmer, more than 6,000 Pakistani citizens live on long-term visas, while Rajasthan has 20,000. They are being intimated by the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) and other concerned departments about the government orders, stating that they might have to leave India. 
In a heartbreaking account, Radha Bhil, a Pakistani national residing here on a short-term visa, received her two-year-old merely three days ago, who she had left in the neighbouring country as a visa for the child was not issued earlier. The child was merely two months old when she left him in Pakistan to come to India.
Radha applied for an Indian visa when she was pregnant and was issued the same after giving birth to her son. However, she was unable to arrange a visa for her newborn son and had to leave him in Pakistan. After two years, her son got a visa and came to Jaisalmer to his parents. She fears she will have to send her son to the neighbouring country again.
Shaitan Singh Rathod, 25 years old, a resident of the Indroi village of Barmer, was going to Pakistan via the Attari border to marry his Pakistani bride on Thursday. However, after the government’s orders, his plans to visit Pakistan to get married were completely shattered.
When he reached Attari to go to Pakistan, the security agencies prevented him from doing so and sent him back. Shaitan Singh was scheduled to marry a girl from the Nuiya village in Amarkot on April 30.
Another Pakistani refugee, Dilip Singh Sodha, asserted that the decision of the central government was “completely wrong”.
“We have come to India after enduring so many atrocities and religious persecution in Pakistan and selling everything we had. Now, there are talks of sending them back to Pakistan, this is absolutely not right. You can shoot us here. We will die here. At least our ashes will be immersed in Haridwar,” he said.
Seemant Lok Sangathan president Hindu Singh Sodha has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, apprising them about the constant phone calls by concerned offices, urging them to reconsider the decision taken by the central government.
He said that this decision should not be applied to those people who have been forced to leave Pakistan and come to India due to religious persecution.
“Today, the Government of India has made special provisions for granting citizenship to these people under its policy of settling Hindu Pakistani citizens who have come to India fed up with religious persecution and atrocities and the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019. In view of this, you are requested to reconsider your decision for such people and order the officials regarding positive orders,” he said.
On April 24, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a press release, saying that all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27.
“Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29. All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended,” a press release said. (ANI)
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