PaK Officials Conduct Ground Check
G U KYANI
Muzaffarabad, May 20: The process for return of Kashmiri youth from Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) has begun under the Rehabilitation Policy launched by the Jammu and Kashmir government recently.
According to sources, for the first time during the past 22-years, a team of officials from the Pakistani security establishment Thursday visited a Kashmiri refugee camp near Busnara here for ‘ground check’ and identified nine youth for their return to the Valley. The Pak officials during their visit to the camp verified the details of identity, refugee status and present occupation of the short-listed persons.
The nine youth identified by Pak officials for return include Abdul Rashid Dar alias Hussain of Shopian, Fayaz Ahmad Ganaie of Pulwama, Mushtaq Ahmad Naik of Anantnag, Raja Sajjad Ahmad Dar of Anantnag, Abdul Rashid Dar of Baramulla, Sher Khan of Kupwara, Muhammad Sajjad Shah of Budgam, Muhammad Aslam of Tral and Ali Muhammad.
Sources told Greater Kashmir that the short-listed persons expressed their willingness to go back to their homes in the Kashmir valley.
One of the short-listed youth Muhammad Sajjad Shah of Budgam said it was for the first time that such an enquiry for their return was being conducted by the Pak authorities. Sajjad said he was more than willing to go back to his home.
Pertinently, with the eruption of militancy hundreds of youth from the Kashmir valley had crossed over to PaK. While most of them went back, a large chunk stayed back and got married to local girls raising families. Each such family was being paid a monthly stipend of Rs 1500 by PaK authorities.
However, these youth complain of living in appalling conditions and are eager to go back to the Valley. However, they are worried over the fate of their wives and children, who are not the residents of the Valley and don’t fall in the ambit of the rehabilitation policy.
Reports have already suggested that the issue of citizenship of children of the youth, who had married PaK girls, would be decided under existing laws of the Government of India if such youth were allowed to return.
GOI CLEARS 5 YOUTH
GKNN Adds from Srinagar: Meanwhile, according to reports out of 23 names short-listed by the state intelligence agencies for return from PaK under the Rehabilitation Policy, clearance of 18 has been withheld by national agencies like Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) giving nod to return of five militants.
All five militants cleared for return once belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen and hailed from Islamabad (Anantnag) district of Kashmir valley. They were held-up in PaK for a period ranging between 10 to 20 years, reports said.
The youth, whose names have been approved for return by the agencies here include Bashir Ahmed Bhat son of Abdul Kabir Bhat of Dooru, Anantnag, Abdul Rashid alias Koka son of Habibullah, Shabir Ahmed son of Ghulam Hassan, Tariq Ahmed Lone, a resident of Qazigund and Tariq Ahmed Sheikh son of Ghulam Nabi Sheikh, all residents of Islamabad (Anantnag).
Reports said on the remaining 18 names there were objections by the national agencies.
In the meantime, names of five youth, who have been cleared by the security agencies for return, have been sent to the Union Home Ministry for final clearance and preparing their travel documents for forwarding to Pakistan High Commission to facilitate their return.
Under the Rehabilitation Policy, return of the youth could be facilitated through cross-LoC points of Poonch-Rawlakote and Uri-Muzaffarabad routes in Jammu and Kashmir, Wagah border in Punjab and Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
After the announcement of Rehabilitation Policy, the Police Department through District SPs, who had been appointed as Nodal Officers, had received about 700 applications from the family members of youth stranded in Pakistan and PaK for past 10 to 20 years.
Number of the youth from Jammu and Kashmir stranded in Pakistan and PaK varied with different security agencies. According to official sources, it could be around or over 3000.
As per the Rehabilitation Policy, the youth on their return would be kept in rehabilitation camps and subjected to questioning before being allowed to re-unite with their families.
No comments