Deported after Pahalgam attack, 63-year-old set to return to family in Jammu as Govt makes rare exception

Three months after she was deported to Pakistan in the immediate fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack, 63-year-old Rakshanda Rashid — a long-time resident of Jammu — is finally set to return to her family, with the Government of India making an extraordinary exception to its post-attack visa freeze.

Rakshanda, who was sent back across the border on April 29 despite holding a valid Long-Term Visa (LTV) and being married to an Indian citizen, will now be allowed to re-enter India on a fresh visitor visa. Her husband, Sheikh Zahoor Ahmed, a retired government official, and their four adult children have continued to live in Jammu's Talab Khatikan locality.

The Central government’s decision was conveyed in the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on July 30 by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. “After much deliberation and considering the peculiarity of facts… an in-principle decision is taken by the authority to grant a visitor’s visa to the respondent,” Mehta informed the court.

The rare move marks a humanitarian departure from the Centre’s April 25 order that revoked all existing short-duration visas issued to Pakistani nationals. Nearly 60 individuals were deported under that order, with Rakshanda among the most high-profile cases.

Following the deportation, Rakshanda’s lawyers filed a petition challenging the legality of the move. On June 6, Justice Rahul Bharti strongly questioned the rationale behind her removal. “Human rights are the most sacrosanct component of a human life,” the judge observed, adding that Rakshanda’s health and isolation in a foreign country placed her at serious risk.

The court also took note of a statement from her husband, who said Rakshanda had no family or support in Pakistan and was suffering from multiple ailments. “A constitutional court is supposed to come up with SOS-like indulgence… This court is coming up with a direction to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, to bring back the petitioner from her deportation,” the judge stated.

Rakshanda had first arrived in India from Islamabad in 1990 on a 14-day visitor visa, which was later extended into a long-term visa renewed annually. She married Zahoor Ahmed in India and had been living legally in Jammu until her sudden deportation. Her LTV was valid until January 13, 2025, and she had even applied for an extension in early January — weeks before her visa was abruptly revoked.

Despite a legal plea seeking a stay, she was handed a "Leave India Notice" on April 28 and escorted the next day to the Attari-Wagah border by security officials.

After the court’s intervention, the Central government not only agreed to issue her a fresh visa but also opened the door for her to pursue applications for Indian citizenship and another long-term visa.

Zahoor was quoted as saying that the family had been in anguish ever since her deportation. “She took ₹50,000 in Indian currency, but everything is costly in Pakistan — a tray of eggs costs ₹600, and 1 kg atta is ₹250,” he said.

With her return now imminent, Rakshanda’s case stands as a rare example of judicial intervention correcting a policy overreach — and a reminder of the human cost behind security decisions.