All Pak nationals to be sent back by Monday, says CM; cops work overtime

5,023 Pak nationals living in various parts of state, highest in Nagpur; 107 are not traceable: Home dept

- HT Correspondents

MUMBAI: As the police across the state ensured that Pakistani nationals living in the state on short-term visas were sent back within the deadline, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday claimed that not a single Pakistani citizen had gone underground and all of them would be sent back by Monday.

According to home department data, however, 107 Pakistanis are not traceable or have gone underground. The data says that there are 5,023 Pakistan nationals living in various parts of the state (excluding Mumbai), with 2,740 on long-term visas and 2,088 with visa extensions. Thirty-four have overstayed and are living illegally while three are in jail. Fifty-five Pakistanis are living with valid visas.

Nagpur has the highest number (2,458) of Pakistani citizens, followed by Thane city (1,106), Jalgaon (393), Pimpri Chinchwad (290) and Navi Mumbai (239). Most Pakistanis on long-term visas are Sindhis who have migrated from Pakistan. "Those on a short-term visa have been asked to leave by Sunday and the ones on medical visas will have to exit by Tuesday. Sindhis with long-term visas don't need to leave," said officials from the home department.