Rush at Attari as Pakistanis hasten to exit, uncertainty over Afghan trade
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Photo: TNIE
Chandigarh: Since Thursday morning, Pakistani visitors in India have been rushing to the Attari-Wagah border to head back to Pakistan. This follows India's suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) after the Pahalgam massacre on Tuesday, giving them a 48-hour deadline to leave the country.
The situation has also cast doubt on trade operations with Afghanistan that pass through this border. By morning, many Pakistani families had arrived at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari, near Amritsar, to cross the border via the Attari-Wagah land route, TNIE reported.
A family from Karachi shared that they had travelled to Delhi to visit relatives. They said that they came for an event and had a 45-day visa, but had to leave India due to the current situation.
According to a family member, who chose not to be named, the closure of the border was seen as an unfortunate decision, and they believed there should be a sense of brotherhood between the two countries. They expressed disappointment over the ongoing developments.
Mansoor, a Pakistani citizen who also arrived in India with his family on a 90-day visa on April 15, strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack. He said that the incident should not have happened and emphasized that whoever was behind it was in the wrong. He expressed a desire for mutual friendship and peace between the two nations but noted that his family was returning home due to the situation.
Meanwhile, some Indian nationals holding visas to travel to Pakistan also arrived at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) on Thursday, hoping to cross the border. Among them was a family from Gujarat planning to visit relatives in Karachi. “We received our visas two months ago,” said an elderly member of the group. Upon learning that the Attari land route was closed, he stated they were willing to return home if required.
Sources indicate that several hundred Indian nationals currently in Pakistan are expected to return to India before May1.
