New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police has refuted claims that passport applications of most Kashmiris are being rejected over “adverse inputs”.
In a statement issued Friday, it also said that more than 99 per cent applications have been cleared by the passport office since 2020. ThePrint has a copy of the statement.
The statement comes against the backdrop of allegations made by Iltija Mufti, daughter of former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, claiming that she was denied a passport after an “adverse report” by J&K Police’s CID department.
According to media reports, Mufti, 35, had applied for a fresh passport on 8 June last year, since her existing passport was to expire on 2 January this year. She moved the J&K High Court in February after her application for a passport was not cleared.
On 29 March, the CID sought dismissal of her writ petition, telling the high court that her final verification report was forwarded to the department concerned in February, said media reports.
The court, however, directed the Regional Passport Office (RPO) to look into the merits of the case. According to media reports, following this, a letter by the RPO to the additional solicitor general stated that Mufti, who aspires to go abroad for higher studies, had been issued a passport that is valid from 5 April 2023 to 4 April 2025.
However, in a press conference in Srinagar Friday, Mufti alleged that the CID had been pressuring her to refrain from litigating in the HC on the passport issue.
Adding to her allegations of “adverse reports”, she further claimed that these were full of “bald-faced lies”.
“They are infringing on my rights by filing adverse reports to ensure my passport is not issued,” Mufti alleged.
She added: “To add to that, the adverse report has been classified as top secret. The only reason it is top secret is because the CID has nothing substantial against me.”
In March 2021, Mehbooba and her 80-year-old mother Gulshan Nazir were also reportedly refused passports, citing an “adverse report” against them.
J&K Police in its statement Friday also countered Mufti’s allegations on pressure being applied to stop her from litigating in the HC.
“CID of J&K Police has in no way pressurized the litigant to refrain from litigating in the High Court in connection with her passport related grievances (sic),” the statement said.
It added that officers were being deputed to speak to the aggrieved person for further details so that the inquiry can help take action against the culprit.
Sharing statistics, the police claimed that in 2020, 99.95 per cent of received passport verifications were cleared — the figures were equally promising in 2021 at 99.68 per cent, and 2022 at 99.61 per cent.
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‘High value public service’
The police also said that security verifications preceding the issue of passports is a “high value public service.” It said that J&K Police has detected that as many as 54 boys were issued passports without proper verification during 2017-18. These boys went to Pakistan, were taken to terrorist camps, trained in arms, ammunition and explosives, and many of them were then pushed back into J&K through the Line of Control (LoC), the police claimed in its statement.
The statement added that 26 of them died while either crossing or during encounters in the hinterland.
“Lives of 12 of these young boys could be saved by the CID after their return from Pakistan, by bringing them under preventive custody so that terrorist-separatist syndicates do not succeed in pressuring them to join terror ranks. Eventually, all of the 12 have been handed over to their families,” the statement read.
It added: “Today, they are alive and happily live amidst their mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers and friends. Unfortunately, 16 of them are still across and trapped in camps under control of hostile agencies.”
Police have further claimed that investigation has confirmed that in each case, the visa to Pakistan was arranged at the behest of one or the other leader of a constituent party of the Hurriyat.
“The CID is committed to help the parents of vulnerable young persons in not falling prey to the death traps. J&K Police is committed to speedy and hassle free clearances for more than 99% (people) who are ‘clean and green’ and a professional filtering of those who should be prevented from availing the service — some in their own interest and others in the interest of the public,” the statement said.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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