BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government on Friday directed 12 Pakistani nationals residing in the state to leave India by April 27.
The instructions came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with all the chief ministers asking them to identify Pakistan nationals in their respective states.
A top police official said the 12 Pakistani nationals holding long-term visas had registered themselves with police stations of different districts.
“The 12 Pakistan nationals staying in Odisha on long-term visas have been directed to leave the country by April 27. Currently, there are no Pakistani citizens in the state staying on short-term or medical visas,” said a senior officer at the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack.
Due to security concerns, police did not divulge further details like gender classification and place of stay of the 12 Pakistani nationals. Out of the total, a few Pakistani citizens stay in Khurda and Cuttack districts, said the sources.
Those in possession of long-term visas (over six months) are required to register with the Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) or Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) within 14 days of their arrival. In areas without dedicated FRRO/FRO offices, the SP serves as the registration officer. All existing visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27. However, the medical visas will be valid for an additional two days.
Meanwhile, Odisha Police has tightened security in all the sensitive areas of the state to ensure no untoward incident takes place in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
Sources said police are on alert in districts like Sambalpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Patrolling as well as intelligence collection has been intensified to prevent any law and order situation in the state.