Pakistani national living in Bengal for forty years arrested
Times of India | 4 May 2025
Chandannagar/Kolkata: A 60-year-old Pakistani national, who lived in Bengal for over four decades, was arrested by Chandannagar police on Saturday despite her claims of having deep-rooted ties to the local community.
Fatema Bibi, who was born in Bengal but whose parents later settled in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, was apprehended from her residence in the Kuthirmath area of Chandannagar on Saturday following a recent govt directive ordering Pakistani nationals to return to their country after a militant attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. The arrest was confirmed by an ADG level officer in Kolkata explaining the context of the case.
According to police sources, Fatema, who left India at a tender age with her parents, returned to India with her father on a tourist visa in 1980. She married local bakery owner Muzaffar Mallik in 1982 and since then established a family with two daughters, both now married. However, she was missing from police special branch records since 1981.
"My wife has all necessary Indian documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards. She is even a registered voter in Ward 12 of the Chandannagar Corporation," said Mallik, expressing concern about his wife's medical conditions that require regular medication and an upcoming knee surgery.
The arrest left her neighbours shocked. "She has been an integral part of our community for 45 years. This sudden action seems unjust," said Sheikh Shah Alam, a local resident.
While Fatema applied for Indian citizenship, the process remains incomplete, claimed Mullick. Police, though, said the relevant documents are yet to be produced. Her family maintains that they have no remaining connections to Pakistan, with all relatives now residing in India.
The arrest comes as part of a broader govt initiative to identify and repatriate Pakistani nationals following recent security concerns. Local authorities have not yet commented on whether exceptions might be considered for long-term residents like Fatema, who have established deep community ties.