Following the Indian government's decision to repatriate Pakistani nationals in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, a case from Andhra Pradesh has drawn public attention. It involves a young woman, Ramsha Rafeeq, a Pakistani citizen who has lived in India for nearly two decades.

Ramsha's mother, Zeenath Peeran, originally from Pakistan, married her maternal nephew Rafeeq Ahmad, a resident of Dharmavaram in Andhra Pradesh, in 1989. While their first child was born in India, Zeenath travelled to Pakistan in 1998 to visit her ailing father. Due to the outbreak of the Kargil War and her advanced pregnancy, she was unable to return immediately and gave birth to Ramsha in Pakistan.

Zeenath and her daughter eventually returned to India in 2005. Since Ramsha was born in Pakistan, she was granted Pakistani citizenship. Though she continued her education in India, she retained her foreign nationality. Her Pakistani passport was renewed in 2018 and remains valid until 2028.

In 2023, Ramsha applied for Indian citizenship, but her application was rejected. This has sparked debate on her legal status, especially given the recent political climate and the government's efforts to identify and repatriate foreign nationals.

Legal experts now raise pressing questions: Can a Pakistani citizen continue to reside in India indefinitely? Will Ramsha face deportation? Her future remains uncertain as the issue gains national attention.