Religion At Play: No Visa suspension for "Hindu Pakistanis" - India
Miyuru Rasoj- Colombo.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, India’s decision to revoke all visas for Pakistani nationals while exempting Hindu pakistanis from this suspension has reignited debates about the government’s alignment with Hindu nationalist ideology.
The move, framed as a security measure, carries distinct religious undertones, reflecting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) use of Hindu minorities in the neighboring countries for covert influence.
Selective Visa Exemptions for Hindu Pakistanis
Security or Majoritarianism?
While the government cites national security concerns following the Pahalgam attack—which killed 26, including tourists—the visa exemption for Hindus underscores a dual approach: stringent measures against Pakistan’s Muslim majority juxtaposed with protections for its Hindu minority.
Critics argue this reflects an ideological prioritization of Hindu interests, consistent with the BJP’s historical advocacy for a Hindu first state .
The exclusion of Pakistani Muslims from visa exemptions, even for humanitarian categories like medical travel, further accentuates this divide.
Broader Implications
The policy risks exacerbating religious polarization, both domestically and regionally.
By explicitly tying visa relief to religious identity, India reinforces a narrative of civilizational kinship with Hindu minorities abroad, a theme frequently invoked in the BJP’s political rhetoric.
Simultaneously, the move isolates Muslim migrants, mirroring domestic policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries.
Such measures feed accusations of state-sanctioned majoritarianism, undermining India’s constitutional secularism6.
A Pattern of Ideological Policy
This decision is not an outlier. The BJP has consistently linked immigration and security policies to its Hindu nationalist vision, as seen in the 2019 CAA protests and the ongoing push for a National Register of Citizens.
The latest visa suspension, while framed as a counterterrorism measure, doubles as a demographic tool, privileging Hindu migrants while excluding others.
As India’s diplomatic tensions with Pakistan escalate, marked by the closure of the Attari border and expulsion of Pakistani diplomats, the religious dimension of its visa policy underscores the BJP’s ideological steadfastness, even at the cost of international criticism.
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