• Source:JND
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Pakistani nationals, including women and elderly individuals, have been left stranded at the Attari-Wagah border after Islamabad abruptly shut its receiving counters, refusing to accept citizens returning from India. With mounting confusion, families separated by boundaries now plead for answers and mercy, saying they have been unjustly trapped. According to a report by PTI, the Pakistani authorities shut down their receiving counters at 8 am on Thursday, effectively stranding hundreds of their nationals on Indian soil. India had earlier asked Pakistani nationals to leave the country by April 30 in light of security concerns following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

Following India's directive for Pakistani nationals to exit the country by April 30, hundreds have gathered at the border. Although India had declared the border would close on that date, it permitted Pakistani citizens to return home beyond the deadline until further notice.

Voices From Attari Border

Among those left waiting is Mohammad Shariq, who came to Attari early in the morning to help his sisters, Indian citizens married to Pakistanis, return across the border. “We arrived at 6 am, and the border usually opens at 10 am. But when we asked the officials, they said the Pakistani side isn’t accepting anyone,” Shariq told ANI.

His sister, Sharmeen Irfan, expressed her frustration: “Earlier lands were divided, now people are. Terrorists should be eliminated. Both governments must sit and find a peaceful solution.”

Two Indian sisters, who are married and settled in Pakistan, tried to cross into the country but were turned away after the Wagah border was closed.

"Please, someone help me cross the border. I need to be with my child. What have we done wrong?" one of the sisters cried out in anguish. Through her tears, she condemned those preventing their reunion, saying she hoped they too would feel the pain of being separated from their children.

Suraj Kumar, a Pakistani Hindu from Balochistan, echoed similar sentiments. “My children are crying there… I had come to meet my family here. I couldn’t even visit all of them. I just wanted to take my mother to Haridwar. We common people are the ones suffering.

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Thousands Affected By Sudden Closure

The sudden refusal by Pakistan comes after a week-long process where Pakistani nationals were steadily returning home. On Wednesday, 125 Pakistani citizens exited India, raising the total to 911 over the past seven days. Only 15 Indian citizens with Pakistani visas crossed over on the same day.

The Indian government also reported an influx of long-term visa holders. In the last week, 152 Indian nationals and 73 Pakistani nationals with long-term Indian visas entered India through the Attari crossing. This brought the total number of returnees to 1,617 Indians and 224 Pakistanis during this period.

India’s decision to ask Pakistani nationals to leave followed the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The Resistance Front, a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the massacre.

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