Abdul Waheed, a 69-year-old Pakistani citizen, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday in Amritsar, shortly before he was scheduled to be repatriated to Pakistan. Waheed had been residing in India for the past 17 years but was found to be living on an expired visa. Authorities had recently transferred him from Srinagar to Amritsar with plans to deport him via the Attari-Wagah border.
His untimely death just hours before repatriation has raised serious concerns regarding the treatment and conditions of foreign nationals living in India with expired documentation, especially amid tightened deportation policies.
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Meanwhile, significant movement took place at the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), where 224 individuals—comprising both Indian nationals and Pakistani citizens holding No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) visas—entered India. At the same time, 139 Pakistani nationals were sent back to Pakistan.
Among those who crossed the border into India was 35-year-old Monika Rajani, a Pakistani national with NORI and Long-Term Visa (LTV) status. She was accompanied by her five-year-old daughter, Saimara, who was born in India. Monika shared that she crossed into India hastily, fearing the border might close suddenly. Originally from a Hindu family in Pakistan, Monika married a Hindu man from Vijayawada nine years ago. Her husband and in-laws were present at the ICP to receive her and her daughter.
These cross-border developments are occurring against the backdrop of rising political tensions between India and Pakistan. Following the controversial Pahalgam incident earlier this week, the Indian government, led by the BJP, announced the expulsion of all Pakistani nationals residing in the country, citing national security concerns allegedly linked to a false flag operation.
This policy has sparked widespread debate regarding the treatment of Pakistani nationals in India, particularly those with legal protections under NORI and LTV visas. As the situation at the Attari border remains tense and uncertain, the death of Abdul Waheed has drawn further attention to the humanitarian and diplomatic complexities involved in the ongoing repatriation efforts.
