CHITRAKOOT: Months after they came to India to escape financial hardship, 15 members of two Pakistani Hindu families have arrived here in the hope of finding work and rebuilding their lives.
The families were moved to the panchayat bhawan in Sangrampur village on Saturday, a day after they arrived here on a train from Delhi.
Police personnel have been deployed at the panchayat bhawan, which is now out of bounds for the common public. Hundreds who gathered near the panchayat bhawan on Saturday for a glimpse of the two families were turned away by the policemen.
"On August 4, 15 members of two Hindu families from Pakistan arrived here on a train from Delhi with the help of some local 'akharas' to find some work and a place to stay," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Vrinda Shukla.
"After verification, the families were moved to the panchayat bhawan in Sangrampur village. Fifteen police personnel have been deployed there for security," she said. One of these families came to India in October last year and their visas have expired. The other family came in May this year and their visas will expire soon, the SP said.
During verification, the two families told police that they came to India in search of employment and a place to stay.
They want a long-term visa, Shukla said.
"The Pakistani nationals do not have any authentic documents needed for visa extension," she said, adding that senior officials of central and state governments have been informed and further action will be taken based on their directions.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Chakrapani Tripathi said the village head has been asked to provide food to the Pakistani Hindu families staying at the panchayat bhawan.
The families of Rakesh Kumar and Santosh Kumar told police that they came to India as there is unemployment and inflation in Pakistan.
They stayed with their relatives in Delhi for a few days, he said.
These families would like to settle in India and have written to the Indian high commissioner in Pakistan seeking a visa extension, according to police.
Social worker Kamlesh Kumar Patel of Sangrampur, who brought the two families here, was questioned for 10 hours before being let off, police said.
In recent months, the Pakistani rupee has seen a dramatic erosion in its value compared to the US dollar.
Cash-strapped Pakistan's economy has been in a free fall mode for the last many years, bringing untold pressure on the poor masses in the form of unchecked inflation, making it almost impossible for a vast number of people to make ends meet.