Visitor visa permitted for Pakistani woman expelled following Pahalgam attack, as announced by the Home Ministry.
In a significant turn of events, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in India has granted a visitor visa to Rakshanda Rashid, a 62-year-old Pakistani woman who was deported from Jammu earlier this year. Rashid, who has resided in Jammu for 38 years, will now be able to rejoin her family [1][2][3].
Rashid's long-term visa expired in January 2025, and as part of the punitive measures following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government decided to cancel all Pakistani visas and deport Pakistani nationals. After legal challenges, the MHA has now agreed to issue a visitor visa to facilitate her return [1][4][5].
The court's order, however, should not set a precedent. Rashid's case was unique, as it was revealed that she had married an Indian national during her stay [6]. The court acknowledged that the MHA has made an in-principle decision to grant a visitor visa to Rakshanda Rashid [7].
The visitor visa decision comes after a previous order by a single-judge bench of Justice Rahul Bharti, who directed the Central government to "retrieve" Rakshanda Rashid within 10 days post-deportation. The Centre and the UT government had initially challenged this order, but they have now agreed to grant her a visitor visa [1].
Rashid, who entered India on February 10, 1990, via Attari on a 14-day visitor visa, was served with a Leave India Notice on April 28, 2023, and was directed to leave the country by or before April 29, 2023 [8]. Despite her LTV being valid up to January 13, 2025, and her application for an extension on January 4, 2025, no extension was ever accorded [9].
Rakshanda Rashid was a resident of Jammu's Talab Khatikan area and has four children who continue to reside in Jammu and Kashmir [10]. She was deported as part of the decision taken by the Indian government after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack [11].
With the granting of the visitor visa, Rakshanda Rashid can now pursue applications for acquiring Indian citizenship and a long-term visa [12]. The MHA's decision to grant a visitor's visa to Rakshanda Rashid was announced following the solicitor general's request to defer the proceedings to explore whether Rakshanda Rashid could be helped in any manner [13]. Rashid was escorted to the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar by the authorities, from where she crossed over to Pakistan [14].
[1] The Indian Express [2] The Hindu [3] NDTV [4] The Tribune [5] Deccan Herald [6] The Times of India [7] The Hindu [8] The Indian Express [9] The Hindu [10] The Tribune [11] The Times of India [12] NDTV [13] Deccan Herald [14] The Indian Express
- The MHA's decision to grant a visitor's visa to Rakshanda Rashid, a 62-year-old Pakistani woman, follows recent policy-and-legislation changes regarding Pakistani nationals in India, resulting from the politics surrounding general-news events such as the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
- Amidst the legal challenges and political discussions, Rakshanda Rashid's case has garnered attention in various policy-and-legislation spheres, as well as the general-news landscape, due to her unique circumstances and the ongoing politics of India-Pakistan relations.
