In the year 2010 Omar Abdullah led Government came out with a “Rehabilitation Policy” for return of ex Militants from Pakistan, and Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK). Home Department of J&K vide its order No: Home 1376 (ISA) of 2010 Dated 23 .11.2010 gave sanction for the adoption of policy and procedure for the return of ex-Militants to Jammu and Kashmir State, who had crossed over to PaK from 1989 to 2009, was laid out. In this connection I had written a piece titled “Asima’s Plight” which was published in Greater Kashmir on Oct 30th 2012. The article highlighted pain and misery of a newly married girl from other part of Kashmir who had fallen in love with a young man from this part of Kashmir, while had gone across the border with the intention of getting arms training in the year 1999. Asima, who originally hails from Bagh district of Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK), along with her husband Ashraf crossed over to this side of Kashmir via Saujiyan sector of Poonch in May 2010.
Ashraf’s life across LoC:
Mohammad Ashraf Jahara, a school dropout belongs to a Gujjar family of Branwar village of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. At a tender age of 14, he had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from Gulmarg sector. According to Ashraf when he reached Muzaffarabad , he found a guardian who got him admitted into a religious school instead of joining a militant organization. In the year 2007 Ashraf started working as a salesman at a grocery shop in Kacharban area of Bagh district. During the same time he met Asima who belongs to a Kashmiri Lone family that had long back migrated from Tangmarg area of Baramulla to other side of Kashmir. The marriage was solemnized in January 2010. In May 2010 Ashraf decided to return back to Kashmir after he came to know that J&K Government was planning to allow ex Militants to come back to their motherland. When the couple entered Poonch area after crossing Line of Control (LoC) on May 10th 2010, they were arrested by Indian Army and finally handed over to J&K Police. Ashraf was taken to Jammu, interrogated by several security agencies and later on released. Asima was lodged in Poonch jail for 8 months. Ashraf was again arrested by Budgam police when he came back to his native village. He was shifted to Srinagar central jail on the charges of two murder cases that took place in 2001 and 2002. Ashraf denies his involvement in these murder cases as he was not in Kashmir valley from 1999 to 2010. Finally after spending 7 months in Srinagar prison, Ashraf was bailed out and soon Asima was also bailed out as well. I wrote another piece as a follow-up titled “Winning Freedom at Last ” (GK Jan 22nd 2013).
Conclusion
Few days back I met the couple in Srinagar. They have two kids, 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Asima and Ashraf are living a pathetic life. Ashraf is working as a daily wage labourer in city outskirts. The charges leveled against both of them are yet to be taken back by the Government. Ashraf has to spend his hard earned money defending his case and paying fee to his lawyers. Asima wants to meet her parents across LoC, but that seems to be quite impossible. From last almost 8 years she has not seen her father, mother, sister and brothers. Ashraf is also not able to get a passport. If Government has come out with a policy for people like Ahsraf way back in 2010, why is Government not implementing the same in letter and spirit ? It is not the case of Ashraf alone, but there are dozens of similar cases.
“I want fake cases registered against my husband to be taken back. We cannot afford to fight these cases in courts. I want to live a dignified life with my husband and kids but that seems to be quite impossible. Let the authorities understand our plight” said Asima, while talking to me. I hope Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, herself a woman, comes to Asima’s rescue.