Pak Migrants Appeal For Nod To Stay Back

After Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday called up the chief ministers of all the states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country, many Pakistani nationals staying in Rajasthan, who came to India seeking permanent settlement, are pleading for relief, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday.

- Mukesh Mathrani

BARMER:

There are more than 400 Pakistani nationals currently living in the state, according to the home department data.

Many Pakistani nationals have approached the authorities, requesting permission to stay in India and urging that their applications for long-term visas (LTVs) be accepted, they added.

The development took place after 26 people were killed in a terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

To be sure, the Centre has clarified that long-term visas already granted to Hindu migrants from Pakistan will remain valid, despite the suspension of visa services for Pakistani nationals after the attack.

Barmer SP Narendra Singh Meena said that Pakistani nationals residing in India on visas other than long-term visas must return to Pakistan via the Attari Border by April 27. "Those staying on medical visas must leave by April 29. Any Pakistani national who fails to leave India within the stipulated time as directed by the Centre will be compulsorily deported," he added.