Pakistani wives of former Kashmiri militants, who returnedfrom across the Line of Control under a rehabilitation scheme, appealed to thecentral and state governments on Friday that they be either granted Indiancitizenship or deported.
“We are a total of 350 women…we should be madecitizens here as is the case with the women who marry men in any country. Weappeal the government of India and the state government to either grant uspassport or travel documents or deport us,” one of the women, Taiba, aresident of Abottabad, told reporters here.
The women sought the intervention of Prime Minister NarendraModi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Jammu and Kashmir Governor S PMalik as well as Pakistani premier Imran Khan to end their plight.
They also appealed to the United Nations and human rightsorganisations across the world to take up their cause with India and Pakistan.
The women alleged that the state government was denying themtravel documents to visit their families in Pakistan or Pakistan-administeredKashmir.
The women have held protests earlier as well to impress uponthe government to meet their demands.
In 2010, the then Jammu and Kashmir government led by OmarAbdullah had announced a rehabilitation policy for former Kashmiri militants,who had crossed over to Pakistan from 1989 to 2009 and had designated fourpoints — Wagah-Attari, Salambad, Chakan Da Bagh and the Indira GandhiInternational Airport in Delhi — for their return.
The Nepal route was approved unofficially.
Hundreds of persons, who had crossed the Line of Control(LoC) for arms training, returned along with their families through the Nepalborder till 2016 after which this policy was discontinued by the Centre.