Abdul Waheed Bhat, an alleged Pakistani national who had been residing in India since 1980, died on Wednesday during the deportation process at the Attari-Wagah border, the Indian Express reported.
Bhat, approximately 80 years old and reportedly suffering from paralysis, became critically ill while on a bus waiting outside the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari.
He passed away before the formal handover could take place. Authorities later shifted his body to the Civil Hospital in Amritsar.
Bhat was part of a group of 60 to 70 alleged Pakistani nationals who had been brought from Jammu by police for deportation to Pakistan via the Attari border.
He had been served a formal “notice to leave India” by the Foreigner Registration Office, Srinagar, citing his illegal stay since the expiry of his visa in 1980. According to the notice dated April 25, 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs had directed that all foreign nationals staying illegally must leave India by April 27.
Bhat was in the process of being deported under this directive when his condition fatally deteriorated.
“The Jammu and Kashmir police have brought for deportation some persons who don’t have passports or the required certificate from the Pakistani embassy in Delhi. We cannot deport people who lack either. It is still unclear whether Bhat had a Pakistani passport,” the Express reported.
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