Pak nationals deported before HC grants stay

OVERSTAY By the time court order was issued, train had entered Pak They had violated their visa condition by going to west of national highway 15 which is forbidden. By the time the court order came the train had already crossed to

Pakistan

Nine Pakistani nationals, belonging to the minority Bheel community, were on Friday were put on board a train and deported to Pakistan even as the Rajasthan High Court granted a stay order.

By the time the court order was issued on Saturday, the train had already crossed the Zero Line and entered Pakistan.

The nine, members of the same family, were deported by the state intelligence bureau for overstaying their visa period in India, entering the restricted border district of Barmer and violating visa norms, were put on board the Thar Express on Friday night, officials said.

The Indian sponsors of Pakistani family had approached the high court appealing against the deportation and a special single bench was constituted on orders of chief justice on Saturday.

After hearing the petition, justice Vijay Vishnoi issued notices to the superintendent of police, crime investigation department, Jodhpur zone, Union home secretary, foreign secretary, state home secretariat, and Jodhpur range inspector general of police and directed them not to deport the Pakistani nationals until the next hearing on August 9.

Justice Vishnoi ordered the state’s additional advocate general KL Thakur to immediately inform the concerned officials.

By the time the stay order on deportation reached the concerned officials, the Thar Express in which the deportees were put on board, had entered the Pakistan border, an official said.

“They had violated their visa condition by going west of the National Highway 15, which is a restricted area,” said state additional director general of police (intelligence) UR Sahoo.

“By the time the court order came, the train had already crossed over to Pakistan,” he told Hindustan Times.

“The certified copy of the court order received at about 2 pm, but additional advocate general was intimated about the stay order much earlier,” said Hindu Singh Sodha of Seemant Lok Sanghathan, an organization that has been working for Pakistani migrants.

“The deportation was in violation of a December 15, 2014, notification of the Union home ministry, which states that persecuted minorities have a right to apply for LTV (long term visa),” he told HT. “The petitioners had also paid the penalty for overstay period.”

The Pakistani nationals had also applied online for permanent residence, he said. The family from Pakistan’s Sangad district came to India on May 20, and their visa expired on June 18. Police said the family was asked to go back to Pakistan on June 9, but they decided to stay back.