JAIPUR: Following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, security agencies have deported 129 of the 400 Pakistani nationals residing in Rajasthan. According to official sources, 109 individuals were sent back by April 27, and an additional 20 were deported on April 28. However, several others are currently untraceable, and efforts are going on to locate them.In a parallel development, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued new guidelines offering relief to Pakistani nationals living in India on Long Term Visas (LTVs). As per the updated directive, LTV holders are not required to leave the country, providing significant respite to many individuals residing in India legally.Over the past three days, 362 Pakistani nationals in Rajasthan have had their LTVs approved and formally registered. Officials have clarified that applicants whose LTV cases are pending or under consideration are also exempt from deportation.Notably, Pakistani Muslim women married to Indian citizens and residing in India on LTVs are also not being asked to return to Pakistan under the revised rules.A significant number of Pakistani refugees, especially Hindus, have settled in the border districts of Rajasthan, including Jaisalmer, Barmer, and particularly Jodhpur. In many cases, families have been split due to cross-border marriages—where one half of the family is in India while the other remains in Pakistan or faces pressure to return.In at least three to four reported instances, mothers hold passports from one country, while their children have obtained citizenship in another, typically due to birth circumstances. These families now face the emotional and logistical burden of separation until new regulations are introduced or the situation stabilizes.
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