Maha police work overtime to ensure exit of Pak nationals

MUMBAI: As the police across the state ensured that Pakistani nationals living in the state on short-term visas were sent back within the deadline, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday claimed that not a single Pakistani citizen had gone underground and all of them would be sent back by Monday.

According to home department data, however, 107 Pakistanis are not traceable or have gone underground. The data says that there are 5,023 Pakistan nationals living in various parts of the state (excluding Mumbai), with 2,740 on long-term visas and 2,088 with visa extensions. Thirty-four have overstayed and are living illegally while three are in jail. Fifty-five Pakistanis are living with valid visas.

Nagpur has the highest number (2,458) of Pakistani citizens, followed by Thane city (1,106), Jalgaon (393), Pimpri Chinchwad (290) and Navi Mumbai (239). Most Pakistanis on long-term visas are Sindhis who have migrated from Pakistan. “Those on a short-term visa have been asked to leave by Sunday and the ones on medical visas will have to exit by Tuesday. Sindhis with long-term visas don’t need to leave,” said officials from the home department.

Soon after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the Mumbai police deported 17 Pakistani nationals on short-term visas. “They were here on tourist and medical visas,” said a senior official. “On April 26 and 27, all were sent back after completing due procedures. Those who were undergoing medical treatment were granted an extension till April 29 so that they could complete their exit formalities.”

The official added that around 260 Pakistani nationals who held long-term visas under various conditions like marriage to Indian citizens or women who had married Pakistani nationals but returned to India after being divorced or widowed would continue staying in the city.

The Thane police Commissionerate has asked all zonal officials to strictly monitor Pakistani nationals staying on short-term visas. Data has been shared with each zone, and officers have been instructed to remain vigilant and ensure full compliance with visa conditions. The Zone 4 team, covering Ulhasnagar, Vitthalwadi, Ambernath and Badlapur, found 17 Pakistani nationals residing in Ulhasnagar on short-term visas. The administration ordered them to leave India by April 28, 2025. The exact number of Pakistanis in Thane is not known.

The Navi Mumbai police have initiated the scrutiny of 200 Pakistani nationals’ documents, and three on short-term visitor visas were sent back on April 25. According to officials, there are currently 229 Pakistani nationals in Navi Mumbai on long-term visas or awaiting approval for this. “There are clear criteria,” said commissioner of police Milind Bharambe. “Those with approved long-term visas are being allowed to stay while some applications are still under consideration. Of these, except for six, all the rest are Hindus, and even in those six, four are married to Indians and are very old.”

Officials told HT that most Pakistanis in Navi Mumbai had migrated to India in 2013. “The three individuals who were asked to return had arrived for personal reasons and were on visitor visas,” said DCP (SP) Rashmi Nandedkar. “Since the Centre’s directive mandates the return of those holding short-term visas, an exit permit was granted, and they were repatriated accordingly.”

While CM Fadnavis said that all Pakistanis had been traced and would exit the country by Sunday evening or Monday, deputy CM Eknath Shinde struck a more aggressive posture. “As warned by PM Narendra Modi, Pakistani citizens will have to leave the country immediately,” he said. “If 107 of them are not traceable, the police will trace them and strike hard. No mercy will be shown to Pakistani citizens or their country. Action will be taken against those who give shelter to these Pakistani citizens.”

According to home department officials, most of the 5,023 Pakistan citizens in the state are Sindhis and have been excluded from central government orders. “Similarly, people living here on diplomatic and official visas have been excluded,” he said. “The numbers on the list are inflated because of glitches in the records, as the whereabouts of some are not known.”

Gurumukh Jagwani, former MLC, said that over 5,000 Sindhis who migrated from Pakistan were living in Maharashtra. “Their visas are renewed every five years, and they can apply for citizenship after staying for seven years,” he said. “Over 1,000 Sindhis from Maharashtra have been given citizenship in the last eight months and the rest have been applying for it.”