Odisha begins process to deport 12 Pakistani nationals following visa revocation

Bhubaneswar, April 26 (IANS) Following the central government’s decision to revoke visas issued to Pakistani nationals, states across the country are moving swiftly to trace and facilitate the exit of affected individuals.

In Odisha, 12 Pakistani nationals have been identified as currently residing in the state, Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said on Saturday.

Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena confirmed at a press conference that one Pakistani national is living in the city. The individual has been served a 'Leave India' notice, he said.

The Pakistani national has already completed the exit formalities through an online process, which was cleared on Friday.

Instructions have also been issued to Pakistani nationals residing in other parts of Odisha to leave the country by April 27.

"There was an order from the Government of India under which visas of Pakistani nationals living in India have been revoked. Based on this, the state government directed all district officers to verify records. During this exercise, 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," DCP Meena said.

Officials clarified that any Pakistani national failing to leave the country by the stipulated deadline would be treated as an overstaying foreign national, which may attract penal action.

The mass visa revocation comes as part of a strong diplomatic response by India after evidence of Pakistani involvement emerged in the recent Pahalgam terror attack. Visas across 14 categories issued to Pakistani nationals have been cancelled as a result.

The Ministry of External Affairs has, however, already clarified that long-term visas issued to Pakistani nationals will remain valid.

--IANS

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