Man born in PoK moves SC to stop family’s deportation, claims Indian citizenship

A Bengaluru-based man has approached the Supreme Court to stop the deportation of his family, claiming they are Indian nationals—not Pakistani citizens—amid rising tensions following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.

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The petitioner, born in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), said his family held valid Indian passports issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and had lived in India since 1997. He asserted that the recent deportation drive, targeting Pakistani nationals, had wrongly included his parents, sister, and younger brother.

According to the plea, the family was never Pakistani. They lived in Mirpur, PoK, until 1997 and then moved to Srinagar. The petitioner completed his schooling there before relocating to Bengaluru in 2009 for further studies. Despite this, the Foreigners' Regional Officer allegedly classified the family as Pakistani citizens who had overstayed their visas.

On April 29, the family was reportedly picked up by Jammu and Kashmir Police and taken to the India-Pakistan border the next day. The petitioner claims they were “forced” to leave the country unlawfully.

He has urged the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that the deportation is both imminent and illegal. The plea challenges the Centre’s directive mandating the expulsion of Pakistani nationals on short-term visas, a move enacted after the Pahalgam attack heightened national security concerns.