Following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead, the Indian government directed all citizens of Pakistan living on visas to leave the country. This step saw 537 individuals exit via the Attari-Wagah border from April 24 within four days.
Among those impacted was the family of Dabaya Ram, a former Member of Parliament in Pakistan, who has lived in Haryana’s Fatehabad district for over two decades. Local authorities summoned his family for questioning following the central government directive. However, after brief scrutiny, they were allowed to return to their home in Rattangarh village, Ratia tehsil.
Life Rebuilt After Escape from Pakistan
Dabaya Ram’s is a tale of survival, tenacity, and passive strength. Born just before Partition in Punjab, Pakistan, he and his family determined not to leave the nation after 1947, even as religious pressure mounted. They suffered repeated threats and resisted forced conversions.
His election to Pakistan’s National Assembly in 1988 from the Lohiya and Bakhar districts was under compulsion. He was initially named Deshraj, but officials forcibly changed his name to Dabaya Ram for election purposes. In official records, he was listed as Allah Dabaya, a name he never adopted.
The climax was reached when a female relative was kidnapped and forcibly wedded by religious extremists. His appeal for justice was rejected by Pakistan’s Supreme Court. As per the fear of further violence, the family escaped to India in the year 2000 and entered Rohtak on a one-month visa on the plea that they would visit a relative’s funeral.
Citizenship Struggle Continues After 25 Years
Ever since he came to India, Dabaya Ram has helped his large family by vending kulfi and ice cream on a cycle rickshaw. Thanks to interventions by community leaders, he got Indian citizenship. Six more family members, two of whom were women, have also been given Indian documents. But 28 members are still waiting for their citizenship applications, pending for years, to be approved.
“My only wish now is for his children to secure government jobs or stable employment,” Ram said. His family of 34 still lives together in Rattangarh, hoping for a better and more secure future.
At first, their visas were renewed every year until 2018, with extensions subsequently issued for five years. Despite the impending directive for Pakistani nationals to depart, the Indian authorities have hitherto allowed Dabaya Ram’s family to remain, given their long-term connections and ongoing citizenship process.
