After India’s 48-hour deadline, a number of Pakistani nationals began returning home on Thursday via the Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar. The departures came just a day after the Indian government issued the directive amid heightened tensions.
In response to the deadly attack in Pahalgam, the Indian government on Wednesday announced a series of strong measures, including expulsion of Pakistani defence attaches, suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and the immediate closure of the Attari integrated checkpost.
On Thursday morning, several Pakistani families arrived at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Amritsar to return home via the Attari-Wagah land route.
A family from Karachi shared that they had travelled to Delhi to visit relatives. “We came here (India) on April 15 and today we are returning home though we had a visa for 45 days,” PTI quoted one of the family members as saying.
When asked about the Pahalgam attack, the Pakistani national responded, “Whosoever has done it is completely wrong. We want mutual brotherhood and friendship between the two nations.”
Another Pakistani visitor, Mansoor, said he had arrived in India with his family on April 15 on a 90-day visa. “But we are returning home today,” Mansoor said, condemning the Pahalgam attack and saying it should never have happened.
Meanwhile, some Indian nationals also arrived at the ICP on Thursday, including a family from Gujarat with valid visas to travel to Pakistan. They planned to visit relatives in Karachi. “We got the visa two months back,” said an elderly member of the family.
However, upon learning that the Attari land-transit post had been shut, the elderly man said they were ready to return home if instructed to do so.
Meanwhile, two men from Rajasthan, who arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday evening intending to cross into Pakistan, said they were unaware of the closure of the Attari land-transit facility.