Families in Rajasthan with cross-border ties hit hard as India revokes visas for Pakistani citizens
JAIPUR: The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam has intensified tensions between India and Pakistan, disrupting the lives of countless ordinary people. In response, the Indian government has taken a firm stance by cancelling the visas of Pakistani citizens and ordering them to return home.
This move has deeply impacted many Pakistani individuals and families, particularly those who had recently arrived in Rajasthan, the state sharing the longest border with Pakistan.
Among the worst-hit is the love story of two youths from Jaisalmer, which flourished in Pakistan two years ago, led to their marriage, but has now also fallen prey to the sudden orders from the government. After a love marriage in Pakistan in the year 2023, the two brides, Sachul and Karma Khatoon, have to return to Pakistan, just 13 days after coming to their in-laws' house in Jaisalmer.
While the mehndi on the brides' hands has yet to fade, orders have arrived for them to return to their parental homes in Pakistan, casting a shadow of sadness over their husbands' homes in Jaisalmer.
Cousins Saleh Mohammad and Mushtaq Ali, residents of Devikot in Jaisalmer, had gone to meet their aunt in Ghotki district of Sindh province of Pakistan in July 2023. There, they fell in love with two girls named Karam Khatun (21) and Sachul (22). After the consent of the families, the Nikah of both was done in August 2023.
Despite the Nikah, both the brides could not get a visa to India but the grooms had to return to India in September 2023 and started waiting for their brides to come to India after getting their visas. After waiting for about one and a half years, both the brides finally got their visas from the Government of India in April 2025. Both promptly came to Jaisalmer on 11 April and started living with their husbands and their family.
Just 10 days later on 22 April, the terrorist attack in Pahalgam has shattered their new-found wedded-bliss. With the Modi government ordering Pakistani citizens to leave India, the bride's father-in-law Haji Abdullah is now a worried man. He says that 'after the arrival of both the brides in India, we had applied for a long-term visa. But after the government's order, the police administration is pressuring us to send both the brides back to Pakistan.'
Father-in-law Haji Abdullah is worried about the safety of both the brides. He asks anxiously, 'after the government's order, the police administration is forcing us to send these young brides back to Pakistan. In such a tense situation, how will these two go to Pakistan? If the roads are closed after going from here, then our family will be destroyed.' He has requested both the local authorities and the Indian government to allow the brides to settle in his family.
Meanwhile, the two young brides are deeply disappointed at getting the information of being sent to Pakistan. Both of them say that they will ' prefer to die rather than leave their husbands and go back to Pakistan.'
Karam Khatoon's father-in-law Abdullah points out that the brides are in no position to go back to Pakistan. He remarked, 'Karam Khatoon's mother has died. She was raised by her father and after marriage, her father has also gone to work in Arab. In such a situation, on whose trust can we send Karam back to Pakistan.' Abdullah says he is unable to contact Karam's father and 'there is no one there who can take care of her. Due to this, I cannot send her alone to Pakistan.' Abdullah has appealed to the government to give concessions.
A similar tough situation confronts another family of 18 members from Tando Allahyar district of Pakistan who have come to Rajasthan's Barmer district just last weekend. The family had come with the intention of staying in India and had reached Barmer just a few days ago. On Saturday, this Hindu family from Pakistan, requested the government with folded hands to let them stay in India, as they have also applied for a long term visa.
Family member Suresh says that 'there is no income in Pakistan while the expenses are very high and that's why we came to live here.' Suresh asserts that most of his family and relatives live in India, and that's why they came on visa on 19th April to leave Pakistan and stay in India forever. The 18 members of this family include women, children and men.
He said that 'India is very good and we want to stay here for which we have submitted all the documents for long term visas. We request the government that we should be allowed to stay in Barmer.' Another member of the family, Kailash Kumar says 'we have come here as we are fed up with Pakistan. We request the Indian government with folded hands, to help us stay here.'
All Pakistani citizens who had come to India recently on religious visa, visitor visa or for other reasons, except those whose Long Term Visa (LTV) has been approved or is under consideration, all Pak citizens will have to return to Pakistan in compliance with the instructions of the Government of India. But these affected families in Rajasthan hope that the Indian government will understand their pain and save them from being ruined.
Clearly, as India-Pakistan tensions escalate, the lives of many ordinary people are getting badly hit and in the crossfire between the two bitter neighbours, its common citizens who are feeling helpless and are bound to suffer in countless ways.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
23 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Long live cash! Even as cashless is in
Even if no more the king it once was, demand for cash remains strong, despite the strides taken in digital payments. The inherent contradiction should not be difficult to resolve, given the rate of economic growth that fuels demand for both cash and cashless transactions. Inflation has an impact on demand for cash by affecting the opportunity cost of holding it. Demographics, too, plays a role. Older people prefer to deal in cash over tech-enabled payment mechanisms. Degree of formalisation of the economy also has a bearing, with financial exclusion acting as a constraint to cashless transactions. Concentration of demand for cash among populous Indian states can be traced back to reverse migration during the pandemic, and the consequent surge of currency in circulation. The event has had a long tail, with rural incomes taking much longer to recover to pre-pandemic levels. This affects cash-holding behaviour, as does spending patterns that spike with festivals. Consolidation among state-owned banks has contributed to the need for bigger cash holdings by regulating the numbers of ATMs in remote locations. India also experiences a rise in currency demand during elections. Since these are spread out over the year, this acts as a prop for cash. Economic factors for currency demand are persistent forces, with behavioural effects being less significant. By this yardstick, cash transactions will eventually decrease as a share of the nominal GDP. There may, however, be scope for policy to address the behavioural motives for holding cash. A young population with access to technology should influence the cultural preference for dealing in cash, as will progressive urbanisation. India is part of a global phenomenon of rising demand for cash, including in advanced economies with almost universal access to banking services. Further integration into the global economy will create demand for Indian currency outside the country, even as current domestic factors lose some of their significance.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Sangh Parivar trying to undo Constitution: CM
Thiruvananthapuram: On the 50th anniversary of Emergency, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the period was not an unexpected ill fate that befell Indian society. Instead, it was the culmination of dictatorial tendencies and violation of civil rights that were brewing for a long time, he said. In a social media post, Vijayan said the 50th year of Emergency reminds us of the plight of the current Indian political scenario. "Today, the country is experiencing an undeclared emergency. If former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi misused the Indian Constitution, Sangh Parivar is today trying to undo the Constitution," he said. For countless people, who fought against the Emergency, it was not just a historical lesson, it is a searing memory of the tyranny inflicted by the regime, he said. "We must preserve the history of the Emergency as a source of energy for future struggles, ensuring these memories are passed down to future generations," he added.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
‘There were sounds of sirens and distant explosions every day'
For the people of Alipur in Karnataka's Chickballapur district, the past few weeks have been an unimaginable nightmare. Many had gone to Iran to pursue education, theological studies, or for work. None had anticipated that escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel would leave them trapped. 'We never thought we would make it home again,' said Syed Mohammad Taqi over phone to The Hindu who returned to India on Saturday. A resident of Alipur in Gauribidanur taluk, Mr. Taqi was part of a group of 11 students who were among over 100 villagers stuck in Iran. 'I cannot describe the fear,' he continues. 'There were sounds of sirens and distant explosions every day. Our neighbourhood was just 5 km from a missile strike. The nights felt endless as flashes lit up the sky like fireworks, but far more terrifying.' Communication was almost impossible during those tense days. 'There was no Internet. We couldn't reach our loved ones back home. Our families in India were frantic. Only after the Indian Embassy moved us to a hotel were we given wi-fi, and finally, we could speak to them,' Mr. Taqi recalls. Alipur is a close-knit village with many pursuing studies or business in Iran. On June 18, The Hindu reported how the war had unsettled Alipur's residents. Shafeeq Abidi, a well-known Urdu poet and former journalist from the village, said that around 40 of his fellow villagers had already come home safely. For many, the terror began on June 13. 'That is a day I will never forget,' says Mohsin Raza, a medical student in Tehran. 'The first explosion happened just a kilometre from our hostel. Initially, we thought it was an accident or a loud army vehicle. But then the windows shattered. Outside, we could see missiles arcing across the night sky. That's when we realised this was a serious attack.' Mr. Mohsin, along with other students, immediately reached out to the Indian Embassy. 'We contacted them and told them how dangerous it was becoming. The embassy promised us they were working on evacuation plans as the conflict intensified,' he added. Meanwhile, Syeda Faize, who stayed in Tehran, spent those days huddled in a basement shelter. 'There were constant bombings, and the sound of explosions was deafening. We hardly slept. Every blast felt like it could be the last. Our only thought was to survive,' she added. In India's ongoing evacuation initiative Operation Sindhu, citizens were moved to comparatively safer cities like Qom and Yazd before being relocated to Mashhad and eventually returning to India. Although most of Alipur's stranded residents are finally home, those who survived the ordeal say they cannot forget the chaos they witnessed. 'We thought we would never make it,' Mr. Taqi says, his voice filled with emotion. 'But we're here back in our village safe at last.'
