The Crossbill News Desk
Fifteen members of a Pakistani Hindu family living in Haryana’s Hisar district were relocated to a camp for illegal immigrants in New Delhi on Thursday (April 24), a day after India cancelled all visas granted to Pakistani nationals.
However, authorities clarified that the move was unrelated to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, The Indian Express reported.
The family, including women and children, had been residing in Balsamand village for the past eight months, working primarily in agriculture and construction. The eldest member, 72-year-old Sobho, is originally from Hyderabad in Pakistan’s Sindh province. His son-in-law, Dayal Dass, has been living in Delhi since 2011, according to sources.
Sobho told reporters earlier that the family had arrived in India on a 40-day visa, which had long expired.
“We arrived in India on a 40-day visa which expired. We came here after incurring an expenditure of Rs 3-4 lakh. We had been trying to come to India for the past 10 years. Now, we work in agricultural fields and at construction sites,” he said.
“We want to stay here. This is our motherland. However, I was born in Pakistan. We believe in Sanatan Dharma and hold deep respect for God and Guru Nanak.”
Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan confirmed the family was sent to Delhi due to visa violations and emphasized that the decision was not connected to recent geopolitical developments.
“This action has nothing to do with the recent Pahalgam incident. They had come to Haryana from Delhi. We asked the family to return to their registered address in Delhi,” Sawan told the newspaper.
Shamsher Singh, a farmer from Balsamand, had invited the family to work on his land. Singh explained that he met the family through contacts in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where he had gone in 2023 to support displaced Hindu families.
In Jaisalmer, he encountered Hari Om, a Delhi-based worker from an aid organisation, who introduced him to Dayal Dass. Moved by their plight, Singh offered employment to Sobho and his family in Hisar.
According to Singh, the family arrived in Delhi earlier this year before relocating to Haryana. Their visas expired on August 25, 2024. He noted that the authorities had already been coordinating the family’s return to Delhi prior to this week’s developments.
“Their move to Delhi has nothing to do with the Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.
Following Tuesday’s terror attack in Pahalgam, India took several measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, expulsion of Pakistani diplomats, closure of the Attari-Wagah border, and cancellation of visas issued under the SAARC scheme. Pakistani nationals in India were directed to leave the country within 48 hours.
However, authorities clarified that the move was unrelated to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, The Indian Express reported.
The family, including women and children, had been residing in Balsamand village for the past eight months, working primarily in agriculture and construction. The eldest member, 72-year-old Sobho, is originally from Hyderabad in Pakistan’s Sindh province. His son-in-law, Dayal Dass, has been living in Delhi since 2011, according to sources.
Sobho told reporters earlier that the family had arrived in India on a 40-day visa, which had long expired.
“We arrived in India on a 40-day visa which expired. We came here after incurring an expenditure of Rs 3-4 lakh. We had been trying to come to India for the past 10 years. Now, we work in agricultural fields and at construction sites,” he said.
“We want to stay here. This is our motherland. However, I was born in Pakistan. We believe in Sanatan Dharma and hold deep respect for God and Guru Nanak.”
Hisar Superintendent of Police Shashank Kumar Sawan confirmed the family was sent to Delhi due to visa violations and emphasized that the decision was not connected to recent geopolitical developments.
“This action has nothing to do with the recent Pahalgam incident. They had come to Haryana from Delhi. We asked the family to return to their registered address in Delhi,” Sawan told the newspaper.
Shamsher Singh, a farmer from Balsamand, had invited the family to work on his land. Singh explained that he met the family through contacts in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where he had gone in 2023 to support displaced Hindu families.
In Jaisalmer, he encountered Hari Om, a Delhi-based worker from an aid organisation, who introduced him to Dayal Dass. Moved by their plight, Singh offered employment to Sobho and his family in Hisar.
According to Singh, the family arrived in Delhi earlier this year before relocating to Haryana. Their visas expired on August 25, 2024. He noted that the authorities had already been coordinating the family’s return to Delhi prior to this week’s developments.
“Their move to Delhi has nothing to do with the Pahalgam terror attack,” he said.
Following Tuesday’s terror attack in Pahalgam, India took several measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, expulsion of Pakistani diplomats, closure of the Attari-Wagah border, and cancellation of visas issued under the SAARC scheme. Pakistani nationals in India were directed to leave the country within 48 hours.
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