Hyderabad: City police have been put on round the clock watch on 15 Pakistani nationals visiting the city on short term visas after the recent Pulwama attack.
Tensions are prevailing between the two nations after the Pulwama attack and no new visitors have landed in the city since the attack.
Special Branch police of the three city commissionerates work as Foreigners’ Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) for Pakistan nationals, while for visitors from other countries, Bureau of Immigration staff handle FRRO duties, TOI reports.
As per given data, over 200 Pakistanis are currently staying in the city while another 15 Pakistani nationals 11 men and four women shall soon visit the city.
Of these 200 Pakistani nationals, 198 Pakistanis on the long-term visa in Hyderabad, seven are in Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionerates.
The Pakistanis on the long-term visa in Cyberabad and Rachakonda are all women married to Hyderabadis.
However, in the Hyderabad police commissionerate, there are both men and women spouses married to Hyderabadis.
“In majority cases, Hyderabadi men who go abroad for work, mostly to Gulf countries, get married to Pakistani a national there. When such couples return to India, the spouses have to apply for a long-term visa,” a city police official said.
Explaining further, the official said, once a Pakistan national applies for an Indian visa, the embassy or consulate forwards the application to the concerned local police chief, where the applicant intends to go.
The local Police do a thorough background verification check by visiting the people whom the applicant has mentioned as his or her contact in India and sends a report stating whether the applicant’s reasons are genuine or not.
The long-term visa gets issued for one year and before its expiry, the applicant has to apply for renewal, while on the other hand, the short-term visa is issued for a few weeks or months, based on the assessment of the Indian embassy about the reasons for the applicant’s visit.