Pakistan reopened the gates at the Attari-Wagah border, allowing its citizens who were stuck in India to return home. These people had been left stranded after the Indian government cancelled their short-term visas following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 people.

India had announced that all Pakistani nationals holding short-term visas must leave the country immediately. Even though India was ready to help them return, Pakistan kept its side of the border shut on Thursday. This caused trouble for many Pakistani nationals, including elderly people and those who had come to visit family.

One of the stranded people, Suraj Kumar, had come to India with his elderly mother to visit the holy city of Haridwar. "I came to India ten days ago on a 45-day visa, but was told to leave early. When I reached Attari at 6 am today to return, I found the gates shut," he told reporters on Thursday.

Hundreds cross border amid new rules

After India cancelled several visa types, hundreds of Pakistanis have already returned home. On Wednesday alone, 125 Pakistani nationals left India through the Attari-Wagah border. This brought the total number of people who exited the country in the last week to 911. On the same day, 15 Indian citizens with Pakistani visas also crossed over to Pakistan, making the total 23.

People are also entering India from Pakistan, but only if they hold long-term Indian visas. On Wednesday, 152 Indian nationals and 73 Pakistani nationals with valid long-term Indian visas entered through the Amritsar border. That brings the total to 1,617 Indians and 224 Pakistanis who have come through in the past week.

India had set different deadlines for people with different visa types. For SAARC visas, the deadline was April 26. For 12 other categories, it was April 27. And for people holding medical visas, the last date to leave was April 29.

 

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