ISLAMABAD: More than 400 Indian nationals who were stranded in Pakistan because of COVID-19 travel restrictions returned home on Monday, Pakistani and Indian media reported on Tuesday.

Pakistan closed down land routes and banned air travel with India in March this year, citing the spread of a new variant of the novel coronavirus in the neighboring country. India’s total tally of infections stands at 30.31 million, with a death toll of 397,637.

“Those who returned on Monday included Kashmiri students who were pursuing professional courses in Pakistani educational institutions. The process for their return started at 11am and continued throughout the day,” Dawn newspaper reported. “They were transported to the Wagah border from various parts of the country under special security, while other arrangements were also made to ensure smooth immigration of the travelers.”

According to a notification published on the website of the India High Commission, it facilitated the return of 405 Indian nationals, 48 No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) visa holders and eight spouses/relatives of NORI visa holders from Pakistan to India.

The NORI visa is for refugees who do not hold Indian citizenship but are permitted to stay in the country on a long-term visa (LTV) by India.

India has administered 323.9 million doses so far, the most in the world after China and the United States. Vaccination relative to people, however, is much lower in India than many countries.

So far, more than 346 million people have registered for shots in India, which wants to cover all its adults this year.