E-Paper
Pak woman, living in Odisha for 35 years, worried after 'Leave India' notice
A 55-year-old Pakistani woman, Sharada Bai, faces deportation after a notice from Odisha police, despite living in India for 35 years.
Amid the Modi government's directive to all chief ministers to deport all Pakistanis living in India, a 55-year-old woman hailing from the Sindh province of Pakistan, but residing in Balangir district of Odisha for the past 35 years, is anxious after receiving a notice from the local police to leave the country.
Sharada Bai, who lives in Bolangir town with her family, has been spending sleepless nights after the local police served her a deportation notice.
"All existing VISAS except medical VISA, long-term visa, Diplomatic VISA, and Official VISA issued by the Government of India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with immediate effect from 27.04.2025. As per our available records, you neither have a valid long-term visa nor fall under the above exempted categories of VISAS. Hence, you are directed to quit India at the earliest as deemed proper, failing which legal action will be taken against you," the notice from the SP of Bolangir said.
Sharada Bai's family, originally from Sukkur city in the Sindh province, migrated to India on a 60-day visa in 1987.
"I landed in Koraput district with my family members, where I married Mahesh Kukreja, a bangle trader, and later shifted to Bolangir. Though I had essential documents like a voter ID, I was never granted Indian citizenship. I have a Pakistani passport and an Indian voter ID card. It has now been around 35 years since I arrived in India. I have lived here for so many years, made friends, raised my children… this is my home. I will never go back to Pakistan as there is nobody there," said Sharada Bai.
In Bolangir, she got her daughter and son married, and now has grandchildren.
"We all live together," she said. Her son mentioned that she had applied for Indian citizenship several times in the past but was never granted it. Her sister, who is settled in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, also faces a similar dilemma.
In Odisha, 12 Pakistani nationals have been identified as currently residing in the state. In Bhubaneswar, the police found a Pakistani national who has been served a 'Leave India' notice.
"It was found that one Pakistani national is residing in Bhubaneswar. We contacted him and found that he had already applied for an exit permit, which was approved today. He has been asked to leave India by April 27," said Bhubaneswar Dy CP Jagmohan Meena.
