RAJOURI, Indian-administered Kashmir: Ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan have left one family struggling and worried after the mother of a toddler was expelled by India.
Two-year-old Ayiza Anjum’s father said his daughter had fallen ill since her mother was made to leave the country when India canceled visas of Pakistani nationals in the wake of an attack on tourists in Pahalgam that left 26 dead last week.
Athiya Aslam lived in India on a long-term visa with her in-laws in Kashmir’s Rajouri district.
Ayiza’s father, Anjum Tanweer, condemned the situation as a “dire injustice.”
“This [expulsion of Pakistani nationals] by the government according to us is very wrong,” he said. “Those living illegally [in India] it makes sense for them. But those who have families here, they have been wronged.”
Tanweer said it was the third day that his child had been crying and refusing to drink milk.
“She is sick. It has become very difficult for me. I’m very worried,” the father said.
Tanweer’s father appealed to the Indian government to bring back his daughter-in-law and reunite her with Ayiza.
“My small child who is left here is in a lot of distress. She hasn’t been able to eat for the last three days,” Tanweer Hussain Khan, the toddler’s grandfather, said.
“We are all in a state of shock. I request the prime minister to [bring back] my daughter-in-law who has gone there [to Pakistan], whose child was snatched from her. I have complete hope that you will reunite them.”
On April 22, militants unleashed a deadly carnage in Baisaran valley, a tourist spot in Indian Kashmir, known for its lush green meadows. 25 tourists and a local pony handler were killed in the attack. India has alleged Pakistani involvement, without providing evidence. Islamabad denies the charge but fears continue to rise that New Delhi could carry out retaliatory strikes.
In response, among other measures, New Delhi canceled the visas of Pakistani nationals. However, it reportedly announced NORI (No Obligation to Return to India) visa holders as an exception.
NORI visas are provided to such Pakistani or Bangladeshi nationals who are married to Indian citizens or have close relatives in India.
Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan for decades, with both claiming the valley in full but ruling it in part.
