'Pehle zameeno ka batwara tha, ab insaano ka ho raha hai': Pakistani families torn apart at Attari border

NEW DELHI: As tensions continue to rise between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, the diplomatic fallout is now affecting ordinary people of neighbouring country, particularly those with cross-border ties. In response to the attack, the Centre has begun sending back Pakistani nationals. However, many of them have lived in India for years and built families here, leaving their lives disrupted and caught in the crossfire of escalating hostilities.
Among those impacted by the ongoing tensions is a Delhi-based Indian passport holder, Sharmeen Irfan, married to a Pakistani citizen in Karachi, who is preparing to return to Pakistan today.

Irfan told news agency ANI, "I have been married for 12 years and have a small child. I came to India for a month to meet my ailing mother. I got the visa from the Pakistan embassy, and they advised me to cross the border today itself. The incident that happened (in Pahalgam) was wrong. Terrorism should be ended, but why is the common man being troubled? Strict action should be taken against the terrorists by the government."
At the Attari border in Punjab, Suraj Kumar, a Pakistani Hindu, was also getting ready to leave.

He said, "Once the border opens, we will go home, to our children.What happened is wrong (Pahalgam attack). If discussions happen, then only solutions can be found. We common citizens are suffering. I had come here to meet my family members. I couldn't visit everyone. I wanted to take my mother to Haridwar. I stay in Balochistan and belong to a Hindu family."
Mohammed Shariq, a Delhi resident, became emotional at the border while dropping off his sisters—Indian passport holders married to Pakistani nationals.

He said, "I am a Delhi resident and I have come here to drop off my sisters who are Indian passport holders but married to Pakistanis. They both obtained Pakistani visas yesterday. Pehle zameeno ka batwara hota tha, ab insaano ka batwara ho raha hai. The terrorists should be killed. Both countries (India and Pakistan) together should find a solution."
Another Indian passport holder, who has family and children in Karachi, is also returning to Pakistan today.

She said, "Those who did this attack should be severely punished. But what is our fault in this? Why are our families being separated? Who will talk about what is happening with cross-border families? I appeal to the government to let me go to Pakistan with my children. I am a half-Pakistani national. I obtained the Pakistani visa yesterday."
As political tensions mount, it is the ordinary people—particularly those in cross-border marriages—who are paying the highest price, calling for peace, compassion, and resolution amid rising uncertainty.