Pakistani nationals leaving India via the Attari-Wagah border condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people but expressed despair over their exit from the nation. "Terrorists should be punished. Why are we suffering because of this?" one of them asked.
In its response against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the central government has asked all Pakistani citizens to leave India.
Officials said that over the last six days, a total of 887 citizens returned to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border.
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‘Delivered baby 14 days ago…’
Pakistani citizen Sara Khan, who delivered a baby just 14 days ago, pleaded with the Indian government not to send her and her family back and to cancel their deportation.
The mother of two minors was seen in tears at the India-Pakistan Wagah border Post in Amritsar on Wednesday as she was heading back to her country with a newborn.
'Why are we being punished?’
A Pakistani national, who has been living in India for the past 41 years, said she had no idea as to why they were being asked to leave.
{{/usCountry}}A Pakistani national, who has been living in India for the past 41 years, said she had no idea as to why they were being asked to leave.
{{/usCountry}}The woman, who hails from Karachi, asked, "A terrorist attack took place in Kashmir, but why are we being punished?"
"I have been staying here for the last 41 years. Whatever is happening is not right. We don't stand with them. Their (terrorists') legs should be broken and they should be hanged...I appeal to the government that whatever is happening with us is not right," she told ANI.
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Nasreen, another Pakistani national, said she has spent 15 years of her life in India, living in peace and "working to build our future". She told news agency PTI, "It took us 15 years to get settled. Now they are asking us to leave. It would mean that we will have to start afresh. We will have to answer the questions that our children pose to us."
Mufzala, another Pakistani national, hails from Muzaffarabad. She got married in Baramulla six years ago. She said that both her kids were born in India.
"We have been filling out our application for the last three years, but it has never been accepted. The day before yesterday, we were suddenly asked to leave the country. What happened in Pahalgam was a terrorist activity. Innocents have lost their lives in the attack. The terrorists should be punished. Why are we suffering because of this? We want to go back to our home," she told ANI.
‘What’s my future in Pak?'
Another citizen returning to Pakistan, Osama, said that he has studied Class 10 and 12 in India, adding that he is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Speaking to news agency ANI, he expressed his wish to appear for job interviews after his exams.
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"Whatever happened there (Pahalgam) is wrong. I condemn this incident. It is a very shameful act...I have completed my class 10th and 12th here, what will I do there? What is my future there?" he asked.