Pakistani wives of former militants detained for trying to meet LG Manoj Sinha

Police detained some Pakistani women, who had married to former Kashmiri militants, at Srinagar’s Gupkar after they tried to meet the Lieutenant Governor (LG), Manoj Sinha, on Monday morning, reported a local news agency, Kashmir News Trust (KNT).

About eleven Pakistani women had gone to the LG House to meet the LG Mr. Sinha, however, they were detained by police and shifted to Ram Munshi Bagh Police Station. Earlier, Pakistani women in past have registered various protests saying they are living as “stateless citizens”. They demand grant of either citizenship rights or deportation.

Earlier, the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah in November 2010 had announced to rehabilitate former militants and a large number of former militants who had married in Pakistan arrived in Kashmir via Nepal.

One of the ladies who were part of the group told the agency that they had gone to LG house on 1 September, where they were told to come after two or three weeks. “Today we wanted to meet LG, but were detained by police. We wanted to request LG to deport us or address our grievances,” she said, adding they have been away from their families since they entered Kashmir Valley along with their Kashmiri husbands.

Unidentified sources told the agency that these ladies were detained as they had not sought any permission before trying to meet the LG. “They were detained and later released,” sources added.

“We arrived in Kashmir in 2011 under Rehabilitation Policy but since then we are not being allowed to meet our families back in different parts of Pakistan,” a woman said. “It has been almost 10 years since I saw my parents. We have been caged here and we don’t know why. What is our fault or that of our parents?” another woman told the agency. “Allow us to re-unite with our families.” (KNT)