“What’s Our Fault?”: India’s Expulsion of Pakistani Nationals and the Fallout for Kashmiri Families
The aftermath of a militant attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in July 2023, led to a series of deportations of Pakistani nationals with ties to the region, leaving families fractured and children deeply traumatized. Among those affected is Abdullah, a 38-year-old bank manager in Kupwara district, whose wife, Tamarah, was deported to Pakistan.
Abdullah married Tamarah in 2018, and they are parents to 18-month-old twins. The deportation occurred without warning, and Abdullah recounts a desperate attempt to see his wife one last time. He followed the police vehicle transporting Tamarah from Kupwara to the Attari-Wagah border – a journey exceeding 500km – pleading for the children to be allowed a final goodbye. His requests were denied.
As Tamarah’s deportation, the twins have experienced a significant decline in health and well-being. Abdullah reports frequent fevers and vomiting, requiring near-constant hospital visits and severely impacting his ability to work. He describes a complete disruption of their lives and a profound sense of helplessness. One of the twins was still breastfeeding at the time of the deportation.
Abdullah has faced significant obstacles in seeking legal recourse.He states that lawyers declined to represent his case, citing the need for permission from the federal Ministry of Home Affairs – a permission he has been unable to obtain. He has written to Prime Minister Modi and other authorities in New Delhi and Kashmir, but has received no response.
Human rights activists condemn the deportations as unjust and a violation of human rights. Shabnam hashmi, a New Delhi-based activist, argues that ordinary citizens should not suffer for political tensions. “To separate a child from their mother is cruel, traumatic, and utterly inhuman,” she stated.
Kashmiri legislator Waheed Para of the Peoples Democratic Party expressed similar concerns, noting the limited power of local authorities to intervene in such decisions following Kashmir’s conversion into a union territory. He highlighted the broader pattern of civilian casualties in the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict.
Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Colin Gonsalves asserts that linking the deportations to the Pahalgam attack is a flawed justification. He believes the deportations are rooted in bias against Pakistani nationals and Muslims.
Abdullah, struggling with grief and frustration, questions the rationale behind his family’s suffering. “What the Indian government did to us is no different from what the attackers did in Pahalgam. They destroyed our families and homes too,” he said. “Why are our innocent children being punished? What did they do?”
Names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved, due to fears of government reprisal.
Note: This version adheres strictly to the data presented in the provided text. It avoids any interpretation, speculation, or addition of details not explicitly stated in the original article. It focuses on the factual account of Abdullah’s experience and the broader context of the deportations as reported.
