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Thiruvananthapuram: Seventy-nine year old Hamsa heaved a sigh of relief as the police withdrew a notice issued to him to leave the country.
Not just Hamsa, but many aged persons in Kerala, who earlier lived in Pakistan mostly for job related reasons, were keeping fingers crossed ever since the centre's directive to Pakistan nationals to leave the country in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack came.
As many as 104 Pakistan nationals were found to be in Kerala of which over 50 were those with long term visas. It mostly includes aged persons who went to Pakistan several decades back for jobs and later returned to Kerala.
Hamsa of Puthenpura Valappil house at Vadakara on the suburbs of Kozhikode is one among them. He received a notice from the police on Saturday to leave the country. But it was later withdrawn by the police following a directive that persons like Koya who are having long term visas need not leave India.
Apart from Hamsa, two other women in their late seventies in Vadakara region also got the relief.
Police sources told DH that notices were issued to some persons with long term visas as their applications for extension were pending. However, in view of a clarification from the higher ups the notices issued were withdrawn. Around 50 such persons could get the benefit.
"Kerala is my home country. I was born here and did my schooling here. I was forced to go to Dhaka in 1965 and later moved to Karachi for a job. It is sad that many of us are now being denied nationality in our own country," laments Hamsa who is even fighting a legal battle for Indian citizenship.
Meanwhile, around 50 Pakistan nationals with visit visas were learnt to have already left Kerala over the last couple of days and a few persons under treatment would be leaving by April 29.
Malayalam film Paradesi becomes relevant
Malayalam film Paradesi released in 2007 has now become relevant as the film narrates the plight of the Malayalis with the Pakistan tag.
At that time there were around 500 such Malayalis mostly in north Kerala. But now it is learnt to have come down drastically as many have died, says the film's maker P T Kunju Muhammed.
"Many of them were facing much hardships owing to frequent police checkings and difficulties in getting their due benefits. That prompted me to make the film. Fortunately the film helped in changing the mindset of the society towards them," Muhammed told DH.