Srinagar, Apr 29 (PTI) Days after the tragic Pahalgam attack, Jammu and Kashmir authorities have transported 60 Pakistani nationals — one of them the mother of a police constable who was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for confronting terrorists en route to hit the Amarnath Yatra.
According to officials, the Pakistani nationals, who have been living in the valley for decades, were collected from various districts and taken in buses to Punjab, where they will be handed over to the Pakistani authorities.
Shameema Akhtar, the mother of Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, who died in May 2022 while fighting terrorists, is one of the deportees.
Unhappy over the decision, Mohammad Younus, uncle of the deceased police constable, told reporters that his sister-in-law belonged to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and as such, she should not have been deported.
“My sister-in-law is from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which is our territory. Only Pakistanis should have been deported,” Younus said.
After Mudasir’s death, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the family, and so did the Lieutenant Governor, twice, he said.
“My bhabhi was 20 years old when she came here and has been living here for 45 years now. My appeal to (PM Narendra) Modi and Amit Shah is that they should not do it,” Younus said.
Shameema had married Mohammad Maqsood, now a retired police officer, before the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990.
The main Baramulla town square has been named Shaheed Mudasir Chowk in the memory of the policeman.
According to the citation for Sheikh, he was awarded the third civilian award posthumously in 2022 for his role in thwarting a major terrorist plot targeting the Amarnath Yatra.
On May 25, 2022, credible intelligence was received regarding the movement of three heavily armed foreign terrorists travelling in a vehicle, with a sinister intention of attacking the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. In response to this input, a joint operation was swiftly launched by security forces in Baramulla in North Kashmir.
Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, a seasoned and alert member of the operation team, was quick to identify and challenge a suspicious vehicle. Recognising the imminent threat, the terrorists tried to drive away.
Sheikh acted decisively by charging at the vehicle, completely disregarding his safety.
In a display of raw bravery, he managed to physically drag one terrorist out of the vehicle. The brazen act triggered indiscriminate firing from the remaining terrorists, resulting in grievous injuries to Sheikh.
Despite bleeding profusely and battling excruciating pain, Sheikh remained undeterred and continued his hand-to-hand combat with the captured terrorist. He eventually neutralised him.
Sheikh, however, succumbed to wounds while being evacuated.
Shameema, accompanied by her husband, received the award from President Droupadi Murmu in Delhi in May 2023.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack last week, the Centre announced a slew of measures, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations with Islamabad, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27 or face action.
The 60 deportees include the wives and children of ex-militants, who returned to the valley under the 2010 rehabilitation policy for former ultras.
Of them, 36 had been living in Srinagar, nine each in Baramulla and Kupwara, four in Budgam, and two in Shopian district, officials said. PTI MIJ SKL VN VN
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