Pahalgam Terror Attack Highlights: 537 Pakistani nationals left India through Attari in past 4 days, exit deadline ends

As India directed Pakistani citizens residing in the country to return to their homeland before April 27 in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, authorities in Uttar Pradesh are overseeing the departure of those on short-term visas, while monitoring the ones with long-term visas.

People on medical visas, however, have a two-day extension, but they have to return by April 29, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Prayagraj Police Commissioner Tarun Gauba said that four Pakistani nationals were on short-term visas in the Prayagraj district.

"While one Pakistani woman left on Friday, three Pakistani women will leave on Saturday," he said. — PTI

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday announced a ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh and a government job to the family member of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal who was killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

The chief minister said that the government job will be given to any of the family member, as per Narwal's parents wishes, a statement said. He was an Indian Navy officer.

Narwal (26), a resident of Karnal, had gotten married over a week ago and was on a honeymoon in Pahalgam with his wife, Himanshi.

He was among the 26 people who were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22. — PTI

Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday appealed to people to help identify Pakistani nationals overstaying in the national capital, and inform the nearest police station immediately, a statement said.

India on Thursday announced revoking all visas (except Long Term Visas and Diplomatic and Official visas) issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 as tensions between the two countries escalated over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on April 22.

Deadlines from April 26 to April 29 to exit India have also been prescribed for Pakistani nationals in this regard and henceforth no new visas would be issued to them, the statement read. — PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not attending the all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack and claimed that the government had admitted to security lapses in the meeting held in Delhi.

With regard to the suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, he asked the government where it would store the water and maintained that these issues would be raised later and not now.

Kharge said leaders from all political parties were present, including him and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, at the all-party meeting.

"The first question I raised in the meeting was that when the government convenes a meeting, the prime minister should have been present. Since he was not present, we said it was not right," he told reporters here. — PTI

Pakistani Hindu refugees staying at Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila are anxious about their status due to inadequate information even though the government has clarified that Long Term Visas (LTVs) already granted to Hindu Pakistani nationals will remain valid.

Delhi Police officials said that a verification drive has been launched but they will ensure that no one is harassed unnecessarily.

India announced on Thursday that all visas issued to Pakistani nationals would be revoked from April 27 and asked these people to leave the country as tensions between the two countries escalated after the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam left 26 people dead.

While the government later clarified that LTVs already granted to Hindu Pakistani nationals will remain valid, many refugees say they are worried about their fate as their visas are renewed every two years and their applications for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 are still being processed.

Sona Das, president of the Hindu refugee community at Majnu Ka Tila, said several families have been living in Delhi for years, renewing their visas periodically after document verification by authorities.

"Also, many of these families crossed over from Pakistan just one or two months ago, some are living in camps near Majnu Ka Tila, while others have taken shelter under the Signature Bridge," Das told PTI.

Recently, the police asked the refugees to submit their documents for verification to check if anyone was staying illegally or using forged papers, he said.

"All relevant documents were collected, but people are nervous about what might happen next," he added.

Delhi Police officials said they will ensure that no one is harassed unnecessarily. "We are simply checking that all migrants have proper documents," an official said.

Following the government's directive, the Delhi Police has launched a drive to ensure that no Pakistani nationals are residing illegally in the capital. Officials said the focus would be on verifying documents of those who recently entered India.

Krishan Lal, another resident of the refugee camp, said he is worried about his family. "My wife, children and brother applied for Indian citizenship, but it hasn't been granted yet," Lal said.

"I don't know if their visas will now be cancelled or if they will be allowed to stay," he added.

Kanhaiya, who runs a small tea stall in Majnu Ka Tila, said he has no home to return to in Pakistan.

"There is no one left for us in Pakistan. If we are asked to leave Delhi, we will have nowhere to go and no way to survive," he said.

Dayal Das, who heads another refugee camp in the area, said local police contacted him recently, seeking details about the residents who received citizenship, those who have not, and how many new families have arrived.

"In the past two months alone, 10 to 12 new families have come here from Pakistan," Das said.

Reshma, a mother of two, said her children have just started going to school nearby. She dreams of giving them a better future in India.

"We had started feeling hopeful when some people here received citizenship," she said.

"Now, with document checks happening, we don't know whether we will be allowed to stay or be sent back," she said Earlier, on March 11, the Centre had granted Indian citizenship to 186 Pakistani Hindus under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. However, many others are still waiting.

After the decision on the suspension of visas, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also spoken to the chief ministers of all states, directing them to ensure that no Pakistani national stays beyond the new deadline.

The revocation of visas does not apply to long-term visas issued to Hindu Pakistani nationals, these remain valid, officials said.

Earlier, India suspended the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani citizens, giving those currently in India under this scheme 48 hours to leave.

As the April 27 deadline approaches, the atmosphere among Hindu refugees from Pakistan remains tense, with families clinging to hope that they will not be uprooted again. PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the families of Kaustubh Ganbote and Santosh Jagdale, who were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, in Pune on Saturday afternoon.

He first visited Ganbote's residence in Kondhwa and spoke to the deceased Punekar's wife Sangita, who survived the attack in the northern Union Territory.

Ganbote, who owned a 'farsan' (snacks) business, had gone to Kashmir along with his wife Sangita and the family of close friend Santosh Jagdale.

After meeting Ganbote, Fadnavis then headed to Jagdale's residence in Karvenagar. The CM spoke to Jagdale's daughter Asavari and wife Pratibha.

Jagdale and Ganbote were among the 26 persons who were gunned down by terrorists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. PTI

Apr 26 (PTI) A three-member NIA team on Saturday recorded the statement of Priya Darshani Achariya, the wife of CIPET employee Prashant Satpathy, one of the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, an official said on Saturday.

The team of the National Investigation Agency reached Satpathy's native village Ishani, under the Remuna block in Balasore district, around 11 am and continued the investigation till 3 PM, the deceased's family members said.

Achariya's statement is "crucial" for investigation as she and her 9-year-old son Tanuj were eyewitnesses to the killings of innocent people on Tuesday, he said.

During the recording of the statement of Achariya, other members of the deceased's family were not allowed in the room where the NIA team was carrying out the investigation, the official said.

“No comment,” a member of the NIA team told reporters before leaving the Ishani village after recording Achariya's statement. — PTI

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday issued an advisory to all media channels to refrain from showing live coverage of defence operations and movement of security forces in the interest of national security.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said, "I can understand the fear among the tourists. Those who come here on a vacation don't want to experience any fear... But I want to tell them that if they leave Kashmir during these times, then it may make our enemies win. They targeted tourists because they wanted to send all the tourists out of Kashmir."

He added that the people of Pahalgam have requested to be shifted out elsewhere. "I want to assure the people that we are with them. Their biggest demand is that they want to be settled elsewhere. The DC has already been instructed about it," he said.