Punjab : Over 150 locals from Kashmir mostly students are stranded near Atari-Wagha Border. These Kashmiri locals were scheduled to cross over to Pakistan on 17 March but were denied permission.
A stranded medical student who pursues his MBBS Degree from a Pakistan College said that over 300 people had arrived at Atari-Wagha Border. “Pakistan nationals and others were permitted to cross over, but Kashmiris were denied permission. We are being told that procedure has now changed and we will be allowed to cross over the border only in April.”
The stranded passengers staged a protest demanding permission to cross over. “We faced lot of problem. I along with my elderly mother was waiting for the whole day. Some officials informed us that they haven’t received any list from authorities in Pakistan. We contacted Pakistan Embassy where officials said all the names of visiting people including students have been forwarded to Indian authorities. We don’t know what to do and we have been back to our hotel at Amritsar,” a girl, whose sister studies medicine in Pakistan, said.
The stranded people appealed Government of India to look into the matter.
Pertinently, the stranded students are pursuing professional courses, including engineering, medical, and computer science in Pakistan. They had returned back home after some relaxations in Covid restrictions were given by the two countries. (KNT)
