 "The tale of Accenture employee whose deportation to Pakistan was halted by the Supreme Court")
As tensions rise between India and Pakistan following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, the government has ramped up efforts to identify and deport Pakistani nationals from the country as part of a flurry of diplomatic restrictions.
Among those caught in the sweeping crackdown was Ahmed Tariq Butt, a Bengaluru-based professional working with Accenture. Along with five family members, Butt was reportedly ordered to go to Pakistan despite being Indian citizens with valid passports and Aadhaar cards.
Things took a sharp turn on Friday when the Supreme Court stepped in, asking for verification of his documents and demanded that “no coercive action” be taken against Butt, who has an MBA from the Kerela’s IIM Kozhikode, till then.
But how did Butt and his family get a deportation notice in the first place? And what did the top court say on the matter? Here’s a closer look
‘How did you come to India?’
During the hearing on Friday morning, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N K Singh asked Butt about his background and how he came to India.
Ahmed Tariq Butt told the court that he and his family, his parents, elder sister, and two younger brothers, were residents of Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir until 1997.
His father moved to Srinagar that year and surrendered his Pakistan passport to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, after which he applied for and secured an Indian passport.
The rest of the family joined him in 2000. Butt said he and his siblings studied at a private school in the city. He also told the court that he holds an Indian passport and an Aadhaar card.
His counsel added that only one family member had Pakistani roots, as he was born there. But he had surrendered his Pakistani passport long ago, the advocate said.
Despite these documents, Butt claimed that a Home Ministry order served last week directed his entire family to leave the country. The notice, he alleged, falsely stated that they had entered India on visas and overstayed.
Seeking urgent intervention, Butt informed the court that his “father, mother, sister and a younger brother were arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on April 29 at around 9 pm illegally” and “were taken to the India-Pakistan border on April 30 at around 12.20 pm,” as reported by The Indian Express.
He further stated that they “are at present being forced to leave India from the border” and that “deportation is imminent even though they are Indian nationals”.
This cannot be a precedent for future cases: SC
After issuing a stay on Ahmed Tariq Butt’s deportation, the Supreme Court made it clear that the order should not be treated as a precedent in similar matters.
The bench emphasised that the decision was made based on the “peculiar facts and circumstances” of the case. This clarification holds significance at a time when several individuals, many with Muslim names, have reportedly been asked to leave the country following visa cancellations.
In Butt’s case, the court also directed him to approach the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh if he was not satisfied with the final outcome.
Attari-Wagah border shut
In the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives in Kashmir, India issued a series of countermeasures, including ordering a shutdown of its border with Pakistan and issuing “Leave India” notices to all Pakistani nationals residing in the country.
As part of the sweeping crackdown, all visas for Pakistani citizens, except for long-term stay permits and those granted to Pakistani Hindus, were cancelled, and they were directed to leave India by April 30.
Following this directive, 125 Pakistani nationals exited India through the Attari-Wagah border on Wednesday, bringing the seven-day total of departures to 911. In addition, 15 Indian citizens holding Pakistani visas also crossed over, taking the overall count of such departures to 23.
On the entry side, 152 Indian nationals and 73 Pakistanis with valid long-term Indian visas arrived in the country through the Amritsar border. These arrivals pushed the totals to 1,617 Indian returnees and 224 Pakistani entrants since the announcement.
However, the deportation process hit a roadblock when Pakistan allegedly closed the Wagah border post, causing distress among deported Pakistani citizens who were left stranded in the scorching heat while trying to return home.
It appeared that Pakistani authorities did not open the gate to receive their citizens. But Pakistan’s Foreign Office dismissed this, stating that its borders are open to receiving its citizens.
In addition to cancelling visas, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed its airspace to Pakistani flights, and banned the social media accounts of Pakistani nationals.
With input from agencies
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