Caught between border barriers

Express Tribune

25-04-2025

A woman, an Indian citizen who was married to a Pakistani man, speaks to BSF soldiers demanding to allow her through the Wagah border post. Photo: AFP
Despite ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India that have led to the closure of the Wagah-Attari border, repatriation of citizens from both countries continues under limited circumstances.
On Friday, 191 Pakistani nationals returned home from India, while 287 Indian citizens were repatriated from Pakistan.
However, individuals holding long-term visas, Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), and those with "No Objection to Return to India" stamps were denied border crossing, immigration sources confirmed.
Indian-origin foreign nationals, including Sikh families, were also stopped by Indian immigration and security officials.
Among those barred from crossing were approximately 18 Indian women and their families, many of whom are married to Pakistani nationals. These women staged a protest at the Indian side of the border after being refused entry into Pakistan.
One such woman, Afshan Jahangir, who had travelled over 900 kilometers from Jodhpur to reach the border, expressed her anguish. "At any cost, I need to reach my children today. My husband and two kids are in Pakistan," she said. "If there is an official protocol for married women, why is it not being followed?"
Afshan explained that she had come to India for a brief visit to see her parents and seek medical treatment, on a 45-day visa. Her return date was scheduled for March 27, but due to rising tensions, she arrived at the border earlier than planned. "But the authorities simply told me, 'this is beyond our control,'" she added.
Another woman, Shadab from Delhi, shared a similar ordeal. "My four children are in Karachi and they cry for me every day," she said. Married for 15 years, she had been frequently travelling between the two countries on valid visas. "Today, I've been stopped even though my application for Pakistani citizenship is under process."
Both women alleged that they were denied entry solely because they held Indian passports, despite their deep familial and residential ties in Pakistan. "My children are Pakistani citizens, my husband is Pakistani, and I've completed all the paperwork for my own citizenship. Yet I'm treated like I belong nowhere," said Afshan.
They also complained of financial hardship, having spent Rs100,000 to Rs150,000 on their travel. "Is there any law that separates a mother from her children? What crime have we committed other than marrying across the border?" asked Afshan. "Punish the terrorists, but why should ordinary families suffer?"
Similarly, an Indian-origin Sikh family from Canada was also denied entry into India and had to return to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. Indian authorities reportedly advised them to travel to India via Dubai by air instead of crossing through Wagah.
Despite the border being officially closed, limited repatriation operations continue. Indian nationals visiting relatives in Pakistan were allowed to return after routine checks, and Pakistani citizens stranded in India were received at the border under special permissions.
However, a significant number of individuals, especially women married across the border, remain caught in bureaucratic limbo amid diplomatic tensions.