India-Pakistan border: After the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the central government ordered the closure of the Attari border. After this, many Pakistani citizens were asked to leave India. These citizens were given 48 hours. Many Pakistani citizens returning from the Attari border expressed their disappointment and said that innocent citizens should not be made victims due to the activities of some people. This step was taken after 26 tourists died and many were injured.
Big step of the central government
The central government on Wednesday closed the Attari ICP (International Check Post) and reduced the capacity of the High Commissioners of both India and Pakistan to 30-30 officials. Along with this, the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) was also suspended. On Friday, the Home Ministry launched a major attack on Pakistan and directed to cancel all Pakistan-related visas. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Chief Ministers of all the states and ordered them to expel people coming from Pakistan from their states.
#WATCH | Attari, Punjab: "We are told to leave within 48 hours. How is it possible?… Attari is 900 km from Jodhpur. We were not getting buses. My husband had to bear a loss of Rs 1 lakh for the tickets… We have to reach my husband and children today, anyhow. My passport is… pic.twitter.com/ltKFsjG1QE
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2025
Reaction of citizens returning to Pakistan
A woman named Afshin, returning to Pakistan from Attari border, said, ‘We have been asked to leave from here in 48 hours. How is this possible? Attari is 900 km away from Jodhpur. We were not getting buses. My husband has lost Rs 1 lakh for the ticket. I want to reach my husband and children at any cost. My passport is Indian, but I am half Pakistani. My parents are in India and in-laws are in Pakistan. What is the fault of common citizens in the terrorist attack? I don’t know whether this attack happened in the name of Islam or not, but they are not my relatives. Both India and Pakistan are important to me. Allah will punish them for their acts. Governments should leave some options for women who marry across the border. I request both the governments not to harass common citizens.’
The culprits of the terrorist attack should be punished
Another woman said, ‘Whatever happened is not right. I am from Jodhpur, Rajasthan and I got married in Pakistan. My husband is from Pakistan. We had to return after four days, but when we got the information that we have to leave from here, we reached here quickly. Only criminals should be punished. Why are common citizens being punished? We left our crying parents behind. The terrorist attack was wrong, no matter who did it. Islam does not teach this. Whoever did it, did not read the Quran.’
Tensions increased in India-Pakistan relations
Hanir, a Pakistani citizen returning from Attari border, said, ‘I am from Faisalabad (Pakistan). The situation is normal. There is no problem here and there. I do not know anything about the attack. We have been asked to leave from here, so we are returning.’ A person told that he had come to Attari border to leave his sister. He said, ‘I am from Bhognipur and my sister is from Pakistan. The attack is wrong, no matter who did it. My sister had got a visa for 15 days, but now she has to return to Pakistan. We had to hire a car, which cost us unnecessary money. There should be peace.’
