Pakistani Spouses, Kids of Former Kashmiri Militants Detained

A bus carrying Pakistani nationals who were living in Jammu & Kashmir’s Rajouri arrives to cross over to Pakistan through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari-Wagah border. (PTI)

The fate of those from PoJK hanging in balance

Srinagar: About sixty Pakistanis, many of them the spouses of surrendered Kashmiri militants, and their children born in the neighbouring country are being repatriated through Wagah border.

All of them have been collected from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir and taken in buses to Punjab, where they will be handed over to the Pakistani authorities at the Wagah border, the official sources here said.

However, the decision regarding those women from Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) who also married the former militants from J&K -whether to repatriate or allow them to stay put in Jammu and Kashmir -will be taken in a couple of days, the reliable sources here said on Tuesday.

In response to the recent deadly terror attack in Baisaran meadow near Kashmir’s premier resort of Pahalgam that killed 26 Indian Hindu tourists and a local Muslim horse-handler, New Delhi suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals and after revoking most existing visas ordered almost all Pakistani citizens to leave the country.

The Pakistani wives of former Kashmiri militants do not fall in any of the visa categories revoked by India in a raft of measures to downgrade ties with the neighbouring country accused by it of arming and abetting terrorists active in J&K.

These women came to J&K after the Government of India announced a ‘rehabilitation policy’ for the former Kashmiri militants who had crossed over to Pakistan and PoJK in the 1990s in lieu of a surrender.

The number of these women is around 250 and local media has quoted some of them as saying, “Allow us to stay here or send us to Pakistan in body bags.” An official who wished not to be named said that since many of these women are actually the residents of PoJK which is a part of J&K and thereby, as per the Indian official stand, very much an integral part of the country, they may escape repatriation.

In the past, these women have held a series of street protests in capital Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley saying the Indian authorities are not permitting them to return to Pakistan. They would complain that they have been caught in a situation where their lives have become extremely difficult and unpleasant because they are neither being granted Indian nationality nor allowed to return to Pakistan.

These women had accompanied their husbands to the Valley under the government’s rehabilitation policy. Under this policy announced by the then Omar Abdullah-led national Conference-Congress coalition government following the consent of the Union Home Minister in 2010, around 212 former militants returned to J&K from PoJK through Nepal and other routes between 2010 and 2012.
Though the government had received as many as 1,082 applications from such youth who had crossed the LoC apparently to receive arms training, the government had approved only 219 cases after security clearance. Many of them returned here with their Pakistani or PoJK wives and children.

Since their families have expanded and many of these women are now actively involved in various business endeavours, helping their spouses in increasing their earnings or working independently.

However, a few including Kubra Gillani, originally a resident of PoJK’s Domel area, have been left in the lurch after separation from their Kashmiri husbands or their death whereas few others have died -one of them had reportedly committed suicide after she was denied permission to return home.

The Pakistani women and their children detained from across the Valley for defying deportation orders of the government had earlier been served notices to leave India by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), CID Special Branch (SB) Kashmir, who also holds the charge of Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) in Kashmir,”, Srinagar-based news agency Kashmir Dot Com quoting unnamed sources said.

They added that action is being carried out in compliance with an order issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners-I Division) On April 25, directing all foreign nationals (Pakistani) staying illegally in India to leave the country positively by or before April 27, 2025 .

“Despite the notices and the expiry of the deadline, many Pakistani nationals continued to stay in Kashmir. Acting on the lapse, the J&K police launched a coordinated operation to detain all those who failed to comply with the government order,” the news agency said.

It again quoting unnamed sources said that the detained Pakistani nationals will be facilitated to reach the Wagah border where they will be handed over to Pakistani authorities after completing necessary formalities. It added that the move has triggered anxiety among the families involved, especially as many of the women have been living in Kashmir for years with established family ties.

Meanwhile, senior CPIM leader and MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said in Jammu on Tuesday that deporting women from Pakistan and PoJK,who came to J&K after the government rolled out a rehabilitation policy in 2010, is inhumane. “These women, married to local Kashmiri men, have built their lives here raising families and living peacefully since their arrival.” He added, “They always seek to live as law-abiding citizens, fully integrated into society. Forcing their deportation will only disrupt their families and inflict deep mental anguish”.

Former chief minister and opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti wrote on ‘X’, “The recent government directive to deport all Pakistani nationals from India has raised serious humanitarian concerns, particularly in Jammu & Kashmir. Many affected are women who came to India 30–40 years ago, married Indian citizens, raised families, and have long been part of our society”.

She urged the government to reconsider this decision, and “adopt a compassionate approach regarding women, children and elderly”. She asserted, “Deporting individuals who have lived peacefully in India for decades would not only be inhumane but would inflict deep emotional and physical distress on families who now know no other home”.

The Centre had on Monday warned that any Pakistani, who fails to leave India as per the deadlines set by the government, will be arrested, prosecuted and may face a jail term of up to three years or a fine of a maximum ₹ 3 lakh or both.

                                                      ( Source : D C )