Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 29: A former Hizbul Mujahideen militant along with his Pakistani wife and two children have reached Kishtwar after fleeing from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and taking Nepal route to enter India.
The ex-militant has been identified as Mohammad Hussain Mattu alias Abrar son of Ghulam Nabi Mattu, a resident of village Pasaar Koot, Kushal in Chatroo area of Kishtwar district.
He has brought with him his Pakistani wife, Jameela Kousar and two children, Mahapara, eight years old daughter and Noman, six years old son.
DIG Doda-Ramban range Gareeb Dass told the Excelsior that Abrar has been called for questioning along with his Pakistani wife. He said questioning was meant to ascertain the location of training camps and number of militants in Pakistan and PoK.
He added that Mattu’s family had applied for return of Abrar under Rehabilitation Policy of the State Government.
Police sources said Mattu along with his wife and children had reached Karachi from PoK and obtained Pakistani passports and visas for Nepal. He reached Kathmandu and then entered into Indian territory from Uttar Pradesh border.
Sources said Mattu along with his family members was arrested in Srinagar. After getting a bail from the court, he reached Kishtwar today. They added that Mattu and his wife have not been arrested in Kishtwar but were only called for questioning to ascertain the details of his crossing, return and 20 years period in Pakistan and PoK.
According to sources, Mattu had joined militancy in 1992 and became an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. As he was young at that time, the Hizbul Mujahideen commanders sent him to PoK for arms training the same year.
Mattu had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from Poonch sector. He underwent arms training in various camps of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit for four to five years and became an active militant. Subsequently, he was fed up with militancy after observing attitude of Pakistan Army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and domination of foreign mercenaries over the local ultras, sources said.
Mattu wanted to return but didn’t get an opportunity due to fencing of the LoC. He left the training camps and started working in a factory posing himself as a local of Muzaffarabad, PoK. Later, he married a PoK girl Jameela Kousar and had two children from her.
Sources said Mattu for the past quite sometime had been trying to get passports for Bangladesh or Nepal to reach Dhaka or Kathmandu and then sneak into India. Finally, he succeeded with the help of some agents and reached Nepal from where he entered India and reached Kishtwar.
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