Viral Video of Pakistani Claiming To Have Voted In India Triggers ECI Probe
A Pakistani man's claim of voting in India during his 17-year stay sparks viral outrage, prompting an Election Commission probe and an FIR in Baramulla amid national security concerns.
A Pakistani national's claim that he cast his vote in India has caused quite a flutter. The Election Commission of India has now ordered a thorough inquiry into the claim. Election Commission officials in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district have also ordered the registration of an FIR in the matter.
The Pakistani national was sent back to his native country after the Pahalgam terror attack. He claimed that he had voted in India during his 17-year stay. "A detailed inquiry has been ordered in the matter and directions have been issued to register an FIR," the Baramulla district election officer said.
The inquiry was ordered after Osama Imtiyaz, who identifies as a student, claimed in a video that he had been living in India since 2008. Though he came here on a visa, Imtiyaz claimed to have obtained an Aadhaar card and other documents and got himself registered as a voter in India. He was stuck at the Wagah border crossing in Punjab as Pakistan had closed the gates. Pakistan on Friday opened the gates
#WATCH | Attari, Punjab: Osama, a Pakistani national returning to Pakistan via Attari Border, says, "...I am currently pursuing my bachelor's degree. I wanted to appear for job interviews after my examinations. I have been staying here for the last 17 years. I appeal to the… pic.twitter.com/S8dTV92fhC
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2025
"The District Election Officer (DEO), Baramulla, has taken cognisance of a video circulating on social media in which a person claims that he has got his name registered in the voter list for Uri Assembly constituency despite not being an Indian citizen.In response, the DEO has directed the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Uri to take appropriate action as per the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950," the Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla said.
1. The District Election Officer, Baramulla, has taken cognizance of a video circulating on social media in which an individual allegedly claims to have enrolled himself in the Electoral Roll of the 09-Uri Assembly Constituency without being an Indian citizen.
— Deputy Commissioner Baramulla (@DCBaramulla) April 30, 2025
However, local legal experts dismissed the investigation, saying that the citizenship laws of Jammu and Kashmir before the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, allowed all returnees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to stay in Jammu and Kashmir as "genuine citizens" of the erstwhile Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. Courts allowed returnees from PoK or those who renounced Pakistani citizenship to be treated as citizens of Jammu and Kashmir pending their applications for citizenship of the Republic of India.
"Granting citizenship of India was within the jurisdiction of the Union government," said an official on the condition of anonymity. "This requires completion of certain prescribed formalities, which are not mandatory as per Jammu and Kashmir's own citizenship laws," the lawyer said.
Imtiaz was among 59 Pakistanis in Jammu and Kashmir who were deported after April 27. The Centre had cancelled visas issued to Pakistani nationals in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
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