Anurag Thakur questions Congress over 'inaction' against Pakistani citizens, urges Himachal CM to act

Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 5 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur on Sunday targeted the Congress party and the Himachal Pradesh government over what he termed inaction against Pakistani citizens residing in India, both legally and illegally.
Thakur alleged that non-BJP ruled states have taken negligible action to deport such individuals and urged the Himachal Pradesh government to act swiftly, citing a memorandum submitted earlier in the day.
Speaking to reporters, Thakur said, "Action is being taken to send back Pakistani citizens living in India legally and illegally, but in non-BJP ruled states, this action has been negligible... In Himachal Pradesh too, no such action is being taken. What is the compulsion that Congress has to speak the language of Pakistan?"
"Do they (Congress) see any compulsion in taking action?... Why are Congress and some other opposition parties speaking the language of Pakistan?... The question arises whether the Congress party stands with India today?," he added.
"This is my request to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and the entire government. In the memorandum we have given today, it has been clearly stated that legal and illegal Pakistani citizens should be sent out of Himachal Pradesh and out of the soil of India," Thakur asserted.
Apart from this, BJP also held protests at 17 locations across 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh, accusing the ruling Congress government inaction Pakistani nationals.
Leading the protest in the state capital, Shimla, BJP Himachal Pradesh President Rajeev Bindal said that the issue of Pakistani nationals living in India is of utmost national importance and was "taken seriously by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government at the Centre".
"This is a very important issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji called an all-party meeting where all political parties across the country showed solidarity. The Government of India then took a decision that all Pakistani nationals residing in India must leave the country, and a circular to that effect was sent to all state governments," Bindal said during the protest.
He alleged that despite the central government's directive, the Himachal Pradesh Congress-led government had shown no seriousness in acting on it.
"But the Himachal Pradesh government has failed to act. Why is this government not taking any steps? They must go to the ground level and search. Many incidents have come to light, people who came 25-30 years ago from Pakistan have settled here and even managed to become voters in India," he said.
Bindal expressed concern over what he described as a dangerous laxity by the state administration, warning that such negligence could turn Himachal into a safe haven for foreign infiltrators.
"Our country is turning into a 'sarai' (inn) in this manner. This is why Prime Minister Modi's decision and the NDA government's step have received support from all parties. So why is the Himachal Pradesh government backing away from this decision?" he said.
He emphasized that the BJP had taken to the streets to raise awareness and pressure the state government to act.
Pakistani citizens, except long-term visas and diplomatic and official visas, with immediate effect from April 27. This came in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 26 individuals at the popular tourist destination in Baisaran meadow.