Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: In the wake of the Indian government’s decision to cancel all types of visas issued to Pakistani nationals following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, a Pakistani woman, Minal Khan, married to a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable, was granted temporary relief by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
Khan, who had entered India on a visiting visa, was deported to the Attari border before the High Court’s intervention. Her advocate, Ankur Sharma, explained the situation to media, stating that Khan had married Constable Munir Ahmed around two and a half months ago and had applied for a long-term visa shortly afterward.
“Munir Ahmed, who is a CRPF constable, got married to Pakistani national Meenal Khan 2.5 months ago. She came to India on a visiting visa and then applied for a long-term visa. After the Pahalgam attack, in the order issued by the Indian government, two types of people were exempted, one is diplomatic visa holders, and the second is long-term visa holders. She had appeared for the interview for a long-term visa, and positive recommendations were sent to MHA for giving her a long-term visa,” said advocate Sharma.
However, due to the absence of an approved long-term visa at the time of the government directive, Khan was deported.
“Meanwhile, the Pahalgam attack happened, and she didn’t have a long-term visa, so she was sent to the Attari border. On the same day, a case was filed in the J&K High Court, and the hearing took place. The court passed an interim order, and after that, she was sent back to Jammu. She reached Jammu yesterday around 3 am,” Sharma added.
The government’s sweeping visa cancellation came after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 civilians dead, marking one of the most devastating assaults in the region since the Pulwama attack of 2019.
In response to the escalating tensions and security measures, 786 Pakistani nationals have exited India via the Attari border between April 24 and April 30, according to a senior government official.