CHANDIGARH: Indian women married to Pakistani nationals are facing a heart-wrenching ordeal, stranded at the Attari-Wagah Integrated Check-Post (ICP) after immigration authorities refused to let them leave the country.
This follows the Union Government’s order for all Pakistani nationals to exit India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
On the other side of the border, a similar ordeal is unfolding as many Pakistani women married to Indian nationals, who had gone to visit their families in Pakistan, are now stranded there. Despite holding valid documents, Pakistani authorities are not allowing them to leave the country and return to India to reunite with their spouses and families. Only their children with Indian passports are being permitted to travel back.
Dr Vikram Udasi from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, is waiting at the Attari border to receive his wife, Priya, a Pakistani national who had travelled to meet her family. Their four-year-old child, who holds an Indian passport, has been allowed to return, but Priya remains stranded across the border.
"She has been on a Long Term Visa (LTV) for the past eight years, which is valid until 2026. While announcing the suspension of visa services on April 23, Indian authorities had clarified that NORI (No Objection to Return to India) certificate holders with LTVs could return," Udasi said.
He added, "She went to meet her parents about 20 to 25 days ago. Now, Pakistani authorities are not allowing her to return to India because she holds a Pakistani passport. No one is giving a clear reason. Our four-year-old child, who has an Indian passport, is stuck there with her. I request both governments to talk and resolve this confusion so that we can reunite with our families. They are saying only the child can return to India as he holds an Indian passport."
He further said that they are suffering a lot and are deeply traumatised, as he has been waiting at the Attari border for the past few days to reunite with his wife and child. His wife flew from Karachi to Lahore on April 24, paying Rs 80,000 Pakistani currency for a ticket that normally costs Rs 25,000. She is now forced to spend Rs 4,500 per day on hotel accommodation in Lahore and an additional Rs 4,000 daily on taxi fares to travel to the Wagah border.
Udasi, who is now staying at a hotel in Amritsar, is paying around Rs 2,500 per day for accommodation and another Rs 1,000 daily for taxi fare from Amritsar to Attari, with uncertainty looming over when he will reunite with his family. He had earlier spent Rs 16,000 on a flight to Amritsar.
Another Indian national, Rishi Kumar from Kolhapur in Maharashtra, has also been stranded at the ICP Attari for the past few days. He said he rushed there after hearing about the 48-hour deadline, but Pakistani authorities are not allowing NORI certificate holders with long-term visas to cross into India, permitting only children with Indian passports to return.
Kumar questioned how minor children can travel without their mothers. He said his wife, Savita, hails from a town in Balochistan, about a 12-hour drive from Lahore, and they have been married for 13 years, with 10-year-old twins, Saysha and Revansh. Savita travels to Pakistan every two to three years to visit her parents. This time, she had gone about 12 days ago, and Kumar had accompanied her to Attari to drop her off.
"She is a long-term visa holder and will be eligible for Indian nationality once she completes the mandatory period," Kumar said.
He added that his wife informed him over the phone that around 50 Pakistani women married to Indian nationals were waiting at Wagah to cross into India, but Pakistani authorities were not allowing them despite their valid documents and visas, insisting that only Indian passport holders could cross over.
The NORI certificates are issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for brief visits to Pakistan, and holders are allowed to return to India without any restrictions, claimed both men.
Meanwhile, sources said that on Saturday, 75 Pakistani nationals crossed into Pakistan through the Attari border, while 335 Indian nationals who were in Pakistan on valid visas returned to India.
