Indian women married to Pakistanis struggle to reunite with families after 48-hour deportation order

CHANDIGARH: Several Indian women married to Pakistani nationals are going through a painful situation after the Union Government ordered all Pakistani citizens to leave the country within 48 hours following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Although these women hold Indian passports, they are now stuck at the Attari border as immigration officials are reportedly not allowing them to leave the country.

What’s making things worse is that their young children, who hold Pakistani passports, are being permitted to cross the border. However, the women are insisting that they must be allowed to go back to Pakistan along with their children.

One such woman, Sadvi Alvi, an Indian passport holder married in Pakistan, arrived at the Attari border with her son but was stopped. She said, “I’m from Delhi and married in Karachi, so I need to return there. My five-year-old son is a Pakistani citizen and must leave India as per the government's 48-hour notice. But he can’t travel alone.”

Another woman, Majida Khan, who has been married in Pakistan for 10 years, came to India with her children—both of whom were born in India but have Pakistani passports. “I came here in February to visit my family, and now, because of this order, we have to leave in 48 hours,” she said.

These women and their families claimed that immigration officials at the Attari border told them to contact the embassy for help.