NEW DELHI: “I am born to serve the Jammu and Kashmir Police and my country, India,” said 45-year-old policeman Iftkhar Ali on Saturday, days after he and his eight siblings narrowly escaped being deported to Pakistan.
The intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high court saved them from being sent across the border, a move Ali called a “conspiracy” rooted in false claims about their nationality.
Ali, a resident of Salwah village in Mendhar sub-division near the Line of Control in Poonch district, has served in the police force for 27 years, earning multiple commendations for his dedication and bravery. “I have served all the wings in the police department over the past 27 years, which is evident from the scars on my body, and the citations and rewards which I have received from the department for shedding my sweat and blood for the country,” he said.
Ali was among over two dozen individuals, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were issued 'Leave India' notices in Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu districts last week. Many were taken to Punjab for deportation.
However, after filing a petition, Ali and his siblings—Mohd Shafiq (60), Nashroon Akhter (56), Akseer Akhter (54), Mohd Shakoor (52), Naseem Akhter (50), Zulfqar Ali (49), Koser Parveen (47), and Shazia Tabasum (42) -- were brought back to their native village when the court stayed the deportation order.
Justice Rahul Bharti, hearing their plea, stated, “(The) petitioners are not asked or forced to leave UT of Jammu & Kashmir. This direction is, however, subject to objections from the other side.” The Deputy Commissioner of Poonch has been asked to submit an affidavit detailing the petitioners’ property status, with the next hearing scheduled for May 20.
Ali claims the deportation notice was triggered by a long-standing land dispute with his maternal uncle. “We have a land holding of nearly five hectares with another two hectares illegally usurped by my maternal uncle... The deportation notice is the outcome of that very dispute because they do not want to return our land,” he said.
According to officials, Ali’s parents—Faqur Din and Fatima Bi—had crossed into PoK during the 1965 war and spent years in a Tralkhal refugee camp before returning to Salwah in 1983 with their children. Between 1997 and 2000, the J&K government admitted them as permanent residents, though their citizenship status remains pending with the Centre.
The family’s ordeal came amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. In response, the Centre announced strict measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27.
“We have a centuries-old history of being the bona fide residents of Salwah with both our parents and other ancestors buried in the village… the notice came as a shocker to our family comprising more than 200 members, including some serving in the Army,” Ali said. He currently serves in Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, and lives with his wife and three children aged 6 to 11.
Despite the trauma, Ali expressed confidence in India’s leadership. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, saying, “I am confident that the country's leadership will not allow [my] handing over to the 'enemy nation' on the 'mere conspiracy' that they belong to the part of J&K which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan.”
“The most painful moment of my life was when I was told that I did not belong to this country,” he recalled. “I do not belong to Pakistan and nobody is there for me. I belong to India and this is my country. I love the police from the core of my heart and I am ready to sacrifice my life for the country.”
Ali also expressed gratitude to his legal team and socio-political activist Safeer Choudhary, who supported the family during the crisis. “I also come from Mendhar and I know they have a genuine case so I came forward on humanitarian grounds to mobilise support in their favour so that they are not deported to Pakistan,” Choudhary said.
The intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high court saved them from being sent across the border, a move Ali called a “conspiracy” rooted in false claims about their nationality.
Ali, a resident of Salwah village in Mendhar sub-division near the Line of Control in Poonch district, has served in the police force for 27 years, earning multiple commendations for his dedication and bravery. “I have served all the wings in the police department over the past 27 years, which is evident from the scars on my body, and the citations and rewards which I have received from the department for shedding my sweat and blood for the country,” he said.
Ali was among over two dozen individuals, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were issued 'Leave India' notices in Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu districts last week. Many were taken to Punjab for deportation.
However, after filing a petition, Ali and his siblings—Mohd Shafiq (60), Nashroon Akhter (56), Akseer Akhter (54), Mohd Shakoor (52), Naseem Akhter (50), Zulfqar Ali (49), Koser Parveen (47), and Shazia Tabasum (42) -- were brought back to their native village when the court stayed the deportation order.
Justice Rahul Bharti, hearing their plea, stated, “(The) petitioners are not asked or forced to leave UT of Jammu & Kashmir. This direction is, however, subject to objections from the other side.” The Deputy Commissioner of Poonch has been asked to submit an affidavit detailing the petitioners’ property status, with the next hearing scheduled for May 20.
Ali claims the deportation notice was triggered by a long-standing land dispute with his maternal uncle. “We have a land holding of nearly five hectares with another two hectares illegally usurped by my maternal uncle... The deportation notice is the outcome of that very dispute because they do not want to return our land,” he said.
According to officials, Ali’s parents—Faqur Din and Fatima Bi—had crossed into PoK during the 1965 war and spent years in a Tralkhal refugee camp before returning to Salwah in 1983 with their children. Between 1997 and 2000, the J&K government admitted them as permanent residents, though their citizenship status remains pending with the Centre.
The family’s ordeal came amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. In response, the Centre announced strict measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27.
“We have a centuries-old history of being the bona fide residents of Salwah with both our parents and other ancestors buried in the village… the notice came as a shocker to our family comprising more than 200 members, including some serving in the Army,” Ali said. He currently serves in Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, and lives with his wife and three children aged 6 to 11.
Despite the trauma, Ali expressed confidence in India’s leadership. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, saying, “I am confident that the country's leadership will not allow [my] handing over to the 'enemy nation' on the 'mere conspiracy' that they belong to the part of J&K which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan.”
“The most painful moment of my life was when I was told that I did not belong to this country,” he recalled. “I do not belong to Pakistan and nobody is there for me. I belong to India and this is my country. I love the police from the core of my heart and I am ready to sacrifice my life for the country.”
Ali also expressed gratitude to his legal team and socio-political activist Safeer Choudhary, who supported the family during the crisis. “I also come from Mendhar and I know they have a genuine case so I came forward on humanitarian grounds to mobilise support in their favour so that they are not deported to Pakistan,” Choudhary said.
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