Jammu, May 1: In a dramatic turn of events, Minal Khan, a Pakistani woman married to a CRPF jawan, was granted a last-minute court stay on her deportation, just as she was about to cross the Attari-Wagah border. The case has triggered both emotional appeals and national security concerns amidst rising Indo-Pak tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.<\/p>\n
Minal Khan, hailing from Pakistan\u2019s Punjab province, entered India in March 2025 on a short-term visa after waiting nine years. She had performed an online nikah with Munir Khan, a CRPF jawan stationed in Jammu, in May 2024. Her visa expired on March 22, 2025, following which she applied for a long-term visa. However, in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, India cancelled all Pakistani visas barring long-term and diplomatic categories, and ordered Pakistani nationals to leave by April 29.<\/p>\n
Despite her pending long-term visa application and an interview already completed, Minal Khan was instructed to leave India. She boarded a deportation bus and reached the Attari-Wagah border, but received a call from her lawyer, Ankur Sharma\u2014also a BJP spokesperson\u2014informing her of the High Court\u2019s stay on her deportation. She returned to Jammu at 3 am on May 1.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Minal said, “We should be allowed to stay with the family. We followed all the rules. After the terror attack, I\u2019m being separated from my husband. This is inhuman.” She condemned the Pahalgam killings and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver justice to families affected by the visa clampdown.<\/p>\n
However, her case has raised serious questions online and in security circles. Critics questioned how a paramilitary jawan was permitted to marry a Pakistani national, with some demanding an NIA investigation. Accusations of \u201cmarriage-trapping\u201d and national security lapses have stirred controversy, highlighting the tensions between cross-border human bonds and national interest.<\/p>\n
According to the Home Ministry, 786 Pakistani nationals, including diplomats and support staff, have exited India through Attari since the visa cancellation order. Meanwhile, 1,465 Indians have returned from Pakistan.<\/p>\n
While Bollywood has romanticized Indo-Pak love stories in films like Henna and Veer-Zaara, the ground reality\u2014especially in conflict-ridden regions\u2014remains complex. As Minal Khan\u2019s fate now rests with the judiciary and the Home Ministry\u2019s final call, the incident underscores the growing friction between security concerns and humanitarian considerations in Indo-Pak relations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"