‘We Will Not Go Back’: Pakistani Hindus In Mehsana Resist Return Amid Rising Tensions

Mehsana: Over 1,000 Pakistani nationals, primarily Hindu families, have sought refuge in Mehsana district after facing persistent torment in Pakistan. These families, many of whom arrived on long-term and short-term visas, are now resisting India’s ultimatum to return to Pakistan following the attack in Kashmir.

The families, most of whom come from Pakistan’s Sindh, Nagarparkar, and Tharparkar regions, fled growing difficulties in Pakistan, where they endured constant violence and religious persecution, according to local sources. In the face of escalating threats, approximately 1,051 people, including 249 who arrived just last month, are currently residing in Mehsana. However, with the Indian government’s new guidelines, these families have made it clear that they refuse to return to Pakistan.

“We plead with the government: even if we are shot, we will not go back to Pakistan. After enduring so much suffering, we have made it here, and we are barely managing to survive with hard work,” said one of the refugees, a Pakistani Hindu from Mehsana. Many others echoed similar sentiments, stating that their escape from Pakistan was driven by dire circumstances, and they no longer wish to return to the country they fled.

Ram Singh Thakor, who moved to Mehsana from Pakistan in 2018 with his family, shared that their lives in Pakistan had become unbearable. “The situation in Pakistan has worsened, and the conditions here are much better. We work in the fields to survive, and we do not face the hardships we did in Pakistan,” he said, noting that over 100 Pakistani Hindu families now live in the area.

Mavji Thakor, another refugee, described the oppression they faced in Pakistan, where women were restricted to their homes, and pressure for religious conversion was constant. “We came to India to give our children a better future. We will accept death here, but we cannot go back to Pakistan,” he said.

The situation has become increasingly tense after India issued an ultimatum to Pakistani nationals to leave the country following the Pahalgam terror attack. While many returned to Pakistan, several families are now pleading with the Indian government not to force them back, fearing further persecution. As these families wait to see what will happen next, the fate of over 1,000 refugees hangs in the balance.