63-year-old woman deported after Pahalgam attack granted fresh visa to return to India
Srinagar: Nearly three months after her deportation following the Pahalgam terror attack, 63-year-old Rakshanda Rashid has been granted a fresh visitor visa by the Indian government, allowing her return to India.
Rashid, a Pakistani national married to a retired Indian government official, had lived in Jammu for 38 years with her husband and two children. She was among nearly 60 Pakistani nationals deported after the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked all short-term visas under Section 3(1) of the Foreigners Act, 1946, in the aftermath of the April 2025 Pahalgam terror incident.
On April 28, Rashid received a Leave India Notice and was deported the following day to Pakistan via the Wagah-Attari border. Since then, she has been living alone in a Lahore hotel and facing financial distress.
Challenging the deportation, Rashid moved the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. A Single Judge initially directed authorities to facilitate her return. However, the Union Government appealed the order, and the case reached a Division Bench.
On July 30, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that, considering the “peculiar facts and circumstances,” authorities had decided to grant her a fresh visitor visa. Her counsel accepted the proposal and agreed to withdraw the writ petition.
The High Court disposed of the matter, emphasising that the relief extended to Rashid was a one-time exception and would not set a precedent. Rashid and her family are now allowed to continue pursuing their pending applications for Indian citizenship and long-term visa status.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Three arrested for running fake Aadhaar racket in UP's Badaun
Budaun (UP), Apr 30 (PTI): The Budaun Police on Thursday busted a gang allegedly involved in preparing fake Aadhaar cards and forged documents, and arrested three of its members, officials said.
The action was carried out in the Hazratpur area, where the accused were found operating an illegal setup to generate fake identity documents, they said.
The accused have been identified as Farman Ali, a resident of Munshi Nagla, Anuj Kumar of Uprela, and Brajnandan of Sirsauli.
The police said a fingerprint scanner, three laptops, a hard disk, a scanner, a large number of Aadhaar cards and several suspicious documents were recovered from their possession.
ALSO READ: Hit by car, delivery agent dies after falling from flyover in Delhi
During interrogation, it was revealed that the gang had been involved in preparing fake identity documents for a long time, misleading people and earning money through illegal means, officials said.
Station House Officer Pushpendra Singh said the accused have been produced before a court, and efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the gang.
He added that further revelations are likely as the investigation progresses.
