Pahalgam Terror Attack: Pakistan-Born Sarada Kukreja, Longtime Odisha Resident, Receives Deportation Notice

Bhubaneswar: Sarada Kukreja, a Pakistani citizen who has lived in India for nearly five decades, now faces a deportation notice from the government. After marrying an Indian citizen, she settled with her family in Thikadarpara, under the jurisdiction of Balangir Town Police Station in Odisha, where she has lived for the past 35 years.

Recently, she received an official notice stating that her visa had been cancelled and ordering her immediate return to Pakistan. The notice also warned that failure to comply would lead to legal action.

Speaking to the media, Sarada expressed her distress, saying, "I have been living in India for over fifty years. I got married here in Odisha and have been a resident of Balangir for the last 35 years. I hold a voter ID and Aadhaar card and have participated in elections regularly. My husband and children are Indian citizens."

She explained that she maintains her Pakistani citizenship purely due to procedural reasons and made an emotional appeal to the Government of India not to separate her from her family.

This development follows the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on the 22nd of this month. In the aftermath, India has directed all Pakistani nationals on long-term visas to return to Pakistan. In Odisha alone, 12 Pakistani citizens, including Sarada Kukreja, have received deportation notices.

Sarada, who has built her life in India, emphasized that she has no family ties left in Pakistan. Since migrating decades ago, she has neither visited nor maintained any contact there.

Tearfully, she shared her helplessness, stating she cannot abandon her sons, daughters, and grandchildren to return to a country that feels completely foreign to her. Authorities have made it clear that if Sarada does not leave voluntarily, legal action will be taken following the law.