Most Pakistan nationals in UP on short-term visa sent back home: Officials

Nearly 1,000 Pakistani nationals are currently residing in UP on long-term visa (LTV), and so far, no instructions have been issued to send them back to their country, he added.

The Pakistani nationals who were deported were staying across various districts of the state, including state capital Lucknow and Noida, officials said, adding that some of them had come to visit their close relatives, it is learnt. None of them were found to have come to the state on medical visa, sources said.

One of the deportees, a woman visiting her maternal home in Bareilly district, had lost her passport and the district administration facilitated her return by issuing an emergency certificate.

Once the identification process was completed, the police chiefs of the respective districts where these Pakistani nationals were residing were informed, officials said.

“The district police chiefs issued notices to the Pakistani nationals staying on short-term visas, after which they made their own arrangements to leave for the Indo-Pakistan border. No government staff, including police personnel, were assigned to escort them to the border,” said an official.

Meanwhile, Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar has issued directives to all senior police officials, calling for heightened vigilance across the state in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. He stressed the need for action on several key points, given the possibility of “certain anti-social or mischievous elements” trying to disturb public order by using social media platforms.