Karnataka HC refuses visa extension for Pakistani minors citing national security concerns: Report

The family, stranded after being unable to return to Pakistan, sought relief but the court upheld the central government's directive.

The Karnataka High Court has rejected a plea seeking visa extensions for three Pakistani minors, ruling that it would not interfere in a decision taken by the central government in the interest of national security following the recent terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, Deccan Herald reported.

Justice M G Uma, presiding as the vacation judge, noted that the government had made a "conscious policy decision".

The children, Bibi Yamina (8), Muhammad Mudassir (4), and Muhammad Yousuf (3), were represented in court by their Indian mother, Ramsha Jahan. The family had arrived in India on January 4, 2025, on valid travel documents, with their visas subsequently extended until June 18, the report added.

However, after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed, the Union Government issued a directive for all Pakistani nationals to exit India by April 30.

Complying with this order, Ramsha and her children travelled to the Attari border on April 28, but were unable to cross over as Pakistan had reportedly shut its borders to its returning citizens, the DH report further added. Left stranded, the family returned to Mysuru and submitted a request for a visa extension, citing humanitarian grounds.

On April 29, they submitted a formal plea to the Mysuru city police commissioner, but with no response forthcoming and warnings of coercive action to deport them, they approached the High Court for relief.

During the hearing, Deputy Solicitor General H Shanthi Bhushan, appearing for the central government, presented documents and orders issued after the Cabinet Committee on Security’s meeting, outlining the rationale behind the visa cancellations.

Justice M G Uma, presiding as the vacation judge, noted that the government had made a "conscious policy decision" in light of the terror attack and that the judiciary would not intervene in such matters involving national security.