This story is from May 9, 2021

Maharashtra: With wife dead, Pak man’s crossover with daughter in limbo

Ajit Kumar Nagdev had shifted to India from Pakistan with dreams of a better life, which were shattered. Covid struck in a year after he came from Usta Mohammed city in Balochistan province of Pakistan. His business of selling hosiery at Balaghat town, over 160km from Nagpur, ran into losses during the pandemic.
Maharashtra: With wife dead, Pak man’s crossover with daughter in limbo
Picture used for representational purpose only
NAGPUR: Ajit Kumar Nagdev had shifted to India from Pakistan with dreams of a better life, which were shattered. Covid struck in a year after he came from Usta Mohammed city in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
His business of selling hosiery at Balaghat town, over 160km from Nagpur, ran into losses during the pandemic.
Disheartened Nagdev wanted to return to Pakistan, all the papers were cleared.
As Covid spiked in India, Pakistan shut the borders before the date of crossover fixed for Nagdev and 136 others.

His wife died in-between, leading to a fresh legal hassle. Even if borders open, it may not be easy for him to take his eight-year-old daughter Lavleen along, he says.
Lavleen was born in India and since the family was living on a long-term visa (LTV), her name was endorsed on her mother’s name Rekha Kumari, who died some days ago.
Now with the mother no more, her passport is also not valid. Nagdev hopes Lavleen’s name is now included in his passport at the earliest or else he may remain stranded in India.

“They will not allow her to cross on the basis of my wife’s passport who is no more,” he told TOI.
In the meanwhile, Covid has once again left people stranded across the border. There are over 136 Pakistani citizens, majority of whom Hindus, who were supposed to cross over on April 23, but the borders were closed before that.
A helpless Nagdev now hopes for the Pakistani side to relent and take him in. “We have lost all our hopes. If I go back to Pakistan, maybe I get some support from my people there. My kids can go to a school there,” he says.
As per the original schedule from Pakistani side, they were first supposed to cross over on April 17, along with others. The date was extended to April 23 by Pakistan government. His wife passed away on April 18.
“She was not keeping well since a week before the first date of crossing. The date was extended till April 23, but she died at Nagpur on April 18,” he said.
Rajesh Jhambia of Sindhi Hindi Panchayat, an organization of Pakistani immigrants, said the outfit is ready to provide any assistance if the immigrants are facing financial troubles in India so that they can stay in the country. Attempts are being made to convince him to stay back.
Nagdev, however, said he had no hopes left. Back in Pakistan, he had a rented shop and had sold his entire stock to arrange funds for coming to India.
There are others like him too. Sattanbai in Nagpur had come to meet her son living here.
“Though some of the stranded persons have already left when borders were opened earlier, she planned to extend her stay. Now my brother is not well, and she wants to go back, but the borders are closed,” said her son Om Prakash, who lives in Nagpur. Sattanbai is from Ghotki city in Sindh province.
Thirty-two-year-old Anil Rakhria from Raipur in Chhattisgarh also had plans to go back to Ghotki as his father wanted him there. Now, he waits for the border to open.
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