Amritsar: An Indian woman, Sharmeen Irfan, is attempting to return to her family in Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border crossing in Amritsar, amid rising tensions following a recent terror attack in the region.

Sharmeen Irfan, an Indian passport holder, has been married to a Pakistani national for 12 years and is the mother of a young child. She traveled to India to visit her ailing mother and now seeks to return to her home in Karachi. Despite obtaining a visa from the Pakistan embassy, she has faced challenges in crossing the border, which was advised to be done on the same day.

In a statement to Kashmir Media Service, Irfan condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in 26 casualties, calling for an end to terrorism and questioning the impact on ordinary citizens. “The incident which happened was wrong. Terrorism should be ended, but why is the common man being troubled?” she asked.

The difficulties faced by Irfan highlight the broader issues experienced by individuals caught between the tensions of two neighboring countries. Another woman, identified as a half-Pakistani national, voiced similar frustrations over familial separations due to border restrictions. She requested government intervention to allow her return to Pakistan with her children, emphasizing the plight of families affected by these tensions.

The situation has been further complicated by the Indian government’s decision to cancel Pakistani visas, prompting many Pakistani citizens, including Suraj Kumar, a Pakistani Hindu, to return through the Attari border crossing. Kumar expressed his desire to reunite with his family and criticized the ongoing suffering of ordinary citizens due to the strained relations. He lamented the inability to complete his visit to India, including a planned trip to Haridwar with his mother.

The recent events underscore the human cost of geopolitical tensions, with individuals like Irfan and Kumar caught in the crossfire, seeking resolution and reunification with their families.