Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar Oct 23: Police today arrested 22 members of four families of former militants including the family of brother of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front’s (JKLF) founder, Maqbool Bhat. These four families were trying to cross over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) through Keran sector illegally and a person who was helping them in the cross over was also arrested.
The 23 arrested include children and wives of four former militants who had returned from PoK illegally and surrendered before the Jammu and Kashmir Police here over the period of past few years. The family members of these 241 surrendered militants are facing lot of hardships in the State since their return and this is being thought as the main reason for their attempt to cross over to PoK.
The arrested families included that of Zahoor Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Qadir Bhat of Trehgam. Bhat is brother of Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, the founder of JKLF who was hanged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984 on murder charges.
Bhat’s family members who were arrested included his wife Ameena resident of PoK, and children – Fahad, 10, Nilofar, 9, Abdul Wahab, 6 and Abdullah, 4.
The second family is of Syed Muneer Hussain Qadri, 45, son of Syed Mohammad Hussain Qadri of Khurhama. His family members include wife Shahida Begum, 40 and children – Tafaras, 14, Fasid, 15 and Syed Najam, 7.
The third family is of Fayaz Ahmad Wani, 47, son of Mohammad Manwar Wani of Mirnag, Kupwara. His family members include wife Mehtab Begum, 47 and children – Fatima, 13, Mariyam, 11, Aisha, 9 and Mohammad Ikhlas, 5.
The fourth family is of Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, 50, son of Mohammad Ismael Mir of district Budgam. His family members include wife Shahida Begam, 45 and Chidren – Sara Bano, 9, Saiya, 8 and Hamza, 2.
Police also arrested Ijaz Ahmad Khawaja son of Mubarak Khawaja of Maliyal, Kupwara. Initially, he managed to escape but was later captured by police. Sources said that he was helping these families for cross over.
Sources said that they were arrested in Keran after 23 Grenadiers reported to the police about their presence in the area.
Sources said that these 23 persons travelled to Keran in three vehicles on Monday and were dropped at the main gate. The Army men at the gate after checking their identity cards allowed them to go to the village where they were supposed to attend a marriage party.
Sources said that in the evening when an Army patrol asked the head of the family where marriage was taking place about these four families, they were told that they were neither their invitees nor they were present in the marriage party.
Army immediately reported to the Police at Keran who later arrested them form the four different houses with the help of Army. Today they were brought to Police Station Trehgam in Kupwara and children and women were brought to Kupwara.
It may be mentioned here that 241 former militants returned to Jammu and Kashmir from PoK, along with their families, through Nepal and other routes illegally in the last over three years. None of them is eligible for any assistance or rehabilitation under Government rehabilitation policy for these militants as all of them have returned illegally. These families are facing lot of hardships as these former militants wives are Pakistani nationals and children too are born in Pakistan.
In the meantime, around 100 people of Keran today argued with the Pakistan Army personnel on the Line of Control (LoC) over the stopping of construction of a Library building in Keran on Kishanganga river.
According to reports, yesterday around one dozen Pakistan troops shouted at the residents of Keran from across the LoC on Kishanganga river to stop construction of Library building in Keran. The workers immediately stopped the work on the building.
Today around 100 residents of the village gathered on the banks of Kishanganga river and argued with the Pakistani troops over the stopping of construction of the building.
Reports said that villagers told Pakistani troops that it is village library and its construction should be allowed. Initially, Pakistan troops were reluctant saying that they had orders from the top against the construction of the building. However, after villagers insisted, the Pakistani troops told them that they will come back to them with further instructions tomorrow.
Sources said that since Pakistani troops were thinking that it is a military construction so that might be the reason for stopping its construction. The villagers are optimistic that Pakistan would allow construction.
Follow our WhatsApp channel