Pakistani national aboard cargo vessel denied entry into India at Karwar port

KARWAR: A Pakistani citizen, who arrived at the Karwar port aboard the cargo vessel MT R Ocean, was denied entry by the port authorities, said the Indian Coast Guard. The ship, which was carrying bitumen from Iraq, docked on May 12 with 14 Indian crew members, two Syrians and one Pakistani national on board.

The captain of the ship is also an Indian. Police Inspector Nischal Kumar had instructed that Pakistani and Syrian nationals should not disembark from the ship due to the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and India, said authorities.

As per the police instructions, their mobile phones were seized by the captain. The Iraqi commercial ship, after unloading bitumen at the port, set off for Iraq, said Karwar port officials.

Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India has banned Pakistani nationals from entering the country and has also cancelled their visas. Twenty-six people were killed in the Pahalgam attack. India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the attack. (ANI)