Emotional Scenes at Attari as Border Remains Sealed After Visa Suspensions
The Attari-Wagah Integrated Check-Post (ICP) remained entirely closed on Thursday, following an order from the Ministry of Home Affairs to halt the movement of passengers and goods by April 30 in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. No Pakistani citizens were allowed to cross over into India, nor did any Indian nationals enter from the other side.
Despite the closure, nearly 40 individuals from across the country arrived at Attari, hoping to return to Pakistan. Among them were sisters Saida Zameer Fatima and Saida Saheer Fatima, who were accompanied by their cousin Murawat Hussain Shah and escorted by police from Rajouri. The sisters, now elderly, had come to India in 1983 on valid visas following the deaths of their father and brother—both their only family members in Pakistan. “They have nothing left in Pakistan. Everything they have is here in India. They don’t want to go back,” said Murawat, holding their hands, his voice thick with emotion.
In another heartbreaking case, a woman from Karachi broke down while pleading with officials. Her four-year-old son holds an Indian passport, while she is a Pakistani national. “Either let me stay here with my son or allow him to go with me to Pakistan,” she cried inconsolably.
Also at Attari was Delhi resident Mohammad Shariq, who had come to bid farewell to his sisters, Nabeela Raj and Sharmin Irfan. Both women, married in Pakistan, had traveled to India on a 45-day visa to visit their ailing mother. Now stranded, they begged security officials for help: “Our children are waiting for us. Please allow us to return.”
Among those caught in the uncertainty was a group of Pakistani Hindu nationals who had come to Haridwar to perform the last rites of their relatives. A taxi breakdown caused them to miss the April 30 deadline by just a few hours. Now, they too are stranded on Indian soil, unable to return.
After hours of waiting, no guidance or assurance was given. “No one is allowed to enter or exit. The gates are closed—and we don’t know for how long,” an ICP official confirmed.
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