Jammu, Aug. 2 -- The Union home ministry has informed the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh high court that it will grant a visitor visa to a 62-year-old woman who was deported to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The woman, identified as Rakshanda Rashid, had been residing in India for 38 years on a long-term visa (LTV), which expired in January 2025. Though Rashid applied for renewal, she was deported on April 29 after India revoked visas issued to Pakistani citizens as part of punitive diplomatic measures over cross-border linkages to the April 22 attack. The ministry of home affairs on Wednesday told the division bench of chief justice Arun Palli and justice Rajnesh Oswal that the Centre will grant the woman a visitor visa. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union home ministry, told the bench, "After much deliberation and considering the peculiarity of facts. an in principle decision has been taken by the authority to grant a visitor visa to the respondent." He assured the court that the authorities would "process and accord a visitor visa to the respondent at the earliest" following the completion of formalities.The bench then gave its assent to the authorities concerned for granting a visitor visa to Rashid. The court, however, noted that the arrangement "shall not constitute a precedent in any manner". "...Solicitor General of India, informed the court that after much deliberations and considering the peculiarity of facts and unusual factual position obtaining in the matter, an in principle decision is taken by the authority to grant a visitor visa to the respondent," the bench said. "And thereafter, she may even, if so advised, pursue the two applications that are purportedly moved by her and pending with the respective authority as regards acquiring Indian citizenship as also the long term visa" The decision comes weeks after a single judge bench of the high court instructed the Centre to repatriate Rashid after the woman's family moved a plea challenging the legality of her deportation.The bench of justice Rahul Bharti, in its June 6 order, directed the Union home ministry to allow her return within 10 days, further ordering them to file a compliance report by July 6. Advocate Ankur Sharma, representing Rashid, said, "The J&K government and the Government of India had challenged a previous single judge order wherein it was directed to bring back Rakshanda Rashid from Pakistan within ten days following her deportation. The authorities concerned have now agreed upon issuing a visitor's visa to Rakshanda Rashid." Sharma said that after completing the formalities, Rashid will return to India and she can take up the renewal of her LTV with the authorities concerned....