On April 29, 2025, a woman at the Attari-Wagah border checkpoint near Amritsar was emotionally moved when she left Pakistan because her son, who is of Indian nationality, was stopped by authorities. |Photo source: PTI
Under national repression, visas expired on April 29, 2025, and the United Ministry of the Interior (MHA) has expanded the list of categories for exemption from deportation.
The MHA has published guidelines that “apply for a long-term visa” (LTV) and “under processing” applications will be exempted from the deportation process.
Waivers are also granted to Hindu immigrants who qualify but have not yet applied for LTV.
The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Hodpur, Rajasthan, where the concentration of Pakistani Hindus was conveyed to the symbolic Seemant Lok Sangathan, a group that advocates the rights of ethnic minority immigration in Pakistan, where Muslim women marrying Indian citizens do not apply to Muslim women in the country.
Jodhpur’s Frro performed a special driving from April 26 to 28 to register for Pakistani Hindu immigrants and awarded LTV to 362 people.
Earlier government officials clarified that people with LTV would be exempt from visa recovery orders and would not have to leave the country.
From April 28 to 29, as many as 249 Pakistanis left India through the Attari integrated land port in Punjab, while 527 Indians entered the country.
As many as 537 Pakistani citizens left India when the first deadline ended from April 24 to 27.
“Pakistan Hindus” LTV application to be determined’
Seemant Lok Sangathan president Hindu Singh Sodha said 10,000 Pakistani Hindu applications for LTV are continuing with the MHA for more than two years.
LTV is granted for 1-5 years and is considered a harbinger of citizenship.
Mr Soda said they left the country for 48 hours after the Pahargam terrorist attack after the government announced the revocation of their visas to Pakistanis, as the move would affect thousands.
“We wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and brought the matter with the state government. Frro informed us through the news that in addition to LTV holders, those applying for LTV will also be exempted. This is a great relief. These people come to India to seek religious persecution and they are reluctant to punish them,” Mr Soda said.
He added that several Pakistani Indian refugees received calls from police asking them to leave the country.
Frro also warned immigrants to fall into touting hands and asked them to contact them directly at the office. It said that people whose Pakistani passport has expired and who have not yet applied for citizenship should immediately introduce their documents to Fro so that they can obtain the necessary instructions from the ministry.
Short-term visa for long-term visa for Hindus
A senior police official in Rajasthan said some Hindu immigrants who came here on short-term visas want to stay and get LTV.
“As a process, please call all Pakistan visa holders. Some members of Pakistan’s minority community want to continue based on persecution, so we ask them to apply for LTV,” the official said.
A Delhi police official said they have obtained a list of Pakistani citizens who have not left the country despite their visa revoked.
“The procedure is that they will be taken to the Fro office in Delhi, which will check their documents and if illegal visa conditions are found, they will be taken to the detention centre in Rampur from where they are deported to their country of origin,” the official said.
In Maharashtra, a government official said the exit permit has been handed over to people and ensured they leave the country.
publishing – April 30, 2025 at 12:49 am IST
