MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Government has decided not to ask Pakistani citizens from the Hindu-Sindhi community to leave the state, as most of them are either staying on long-term visas or have applied for Indian citizenship. These individuals will be given protection in India.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that Pakistani citizens belonging to the Hindu-Sindhi community will not be asked to leave the state.
According to official data, there are a total of 5,053 Pakistani citizens currently residing in Maharashtra. Of these, the highest number—2,458—are in Nagpur, followed by 393 in Jalgaon, 293 in Navi Mumbai, 290 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, 117 in Amravati, and just 14 in Mumbai.
In the wake of the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, the Central Government has decided to ask Pakistani citizens to leave India by April 30 of this year.
In Maharashtra alone, there are over 5,000 Pakistani nationals residing on long-term and SAARC visas. The state government is currently identifying and verifying these individuals as part of the ongoing process.
“There are many Pakistani citizens from the Sindhi community staying in Maharashtra on long-term visas. Some have already applied for Indian citizenship. These Hindu-Sindhi Pakistani citizens will not face any issues in the state.
However, those who are in India and Maharashtra on short-term visas must leave the country within the next 48 hours or face deportation. We have already asked such Pakistani citizens to leave,” said CM Fadnavis.
He further mentioned that a list of these individuals has been prepared and submitted to the Central Government. “We are monitoring and tracking Pakistani citizens in Maharashtra who are here on both short-term and long-term visas. Local police stations are in contact with them and are keeping a close watch,” he added.
CM Fadnavis also clarified that no Pakistani citizen currently residing in Maharashtra is untraceable. This clarification comes after Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde previously claimed that 170 Pakistani citizens were missing in the state.
“Sometimes, officers provide incorrect briefings to ministers, leading to such statements. It’s not the fault of DCM Eknath Shinde, but rather a case of incorrect data provided by officials. Therefore, we have decided not to release any precise data until our verification process is complete. We are still sanitizing the data,” CM Fadnavis said.