Odisha waiting for fresh directive from Centre on deportation of 11 Pak nationals

Odisha DGP YB Khurania said the 11 persons who were served with Leave India notices are not in violation of the directions of the Centre

Published on: Apr 29, 2025, 17:24:22 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government is waiting for a fresh directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on deportation of Pakistani nationals staying in India as the Centre is yet to take a final decision on the modalities, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Odisha police had served notice on 12 Pakistani nationals, many of them women, staying in Odisha in the wake of the Centre’s directive following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Since then, a 52-year-old woman staying in Bhubaneswar has been deported as her visa had expired. The woman, Nagma Yusuf, left Odisha on Sunday after receiving an official ‘leave India’ notice. She had been staying in Bhubaneswar since 2008 after her marriage to Mohammed Nizam Uddin, but she did not pursue Indian citizenship following her marriage and her visa expired in December 2024, after which she applied for a long-term visa. This request has been declined.

Odisha director general of police (DGP) YB Khurania said as on Tuesday, the 11 persons who were served with Leave India notices are not in violation of the directions of the Centre.

“The government has changed its position, and the 11 persons have been asked to furnish documents and apply for visas. After they have applied, the Centre will take a fresh view and instruct us what to do with them. If the Government of India say that they have to quit India, they will be asked to or they will be escorted to the exit point. Whatever is to be done will be done as per the instructions of Centre,” said the DGP.

Of the 11 nationals, the state government is in sticky wicket in at least two cases involving a 55-year-old woman in Bolangir district and a 71-year-old woman in Balasore district after they refused to leave India.

Razia Sultana, a 71-year-old widow living in Soro area of Balasore, refused to comply with the deportation order, claiming that she was born in India, but her parents later shifted to Pakistan. She claimed to have arrived again in India with her three siblings and parents in 1980. A year later, she visited Odisha and got married to a Soro native. Though her family members returned to Pakistan in 1984, Sultana stayed back in Odisha with her husband.

After she was served with Leave India notice on April 25, her family is distressed, unable to understand why they are being asked to leave despite having PAN card, ration card and Aadhar card. “My mother is not a Pakistani. Besides, she is 72,a suffering from liver infection, kidney issues, and spinal problems. Issuing such a notice without proper verification has caused us serious mental stress,” said her son. What has made matters complicated is there is no record on the type of visa she was holding when she arrived in India in 1980. She never applied for any visa again or attempted to acquire Indian citizenship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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