SRINAGAR: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have initiated the formal expulsion of 60 Pakistani nationals, including the mother of a decorated fallen police hero, amid rising diplomatic tension following the recent terror strike in Pahalgam.
Officials said that individuals facing deportation were gathered from different parts of the Union Territory and transported in state-arranged buses to Punjab. From there, they will be transferred to Pakistani custody at the Wagah border crossing.
This action follows the central government’s recent measures triggered by the Pahalgam massacre, which claimed the lives of several civilians. The Centre had earlier suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, reduced diplomatic ties with Islamabad, and issued a directive mandating all Pakistani nationals holding temporary visas to exit the country by April 27 or face legal consequences.
The list of deportees mainly consists of spouses and children of former terrorists who had returned to Jammu and Kashmir under the 2010 reintegration scheme aimed at those who had crossed into Pakistan but wished to surrender and rejoin mainstream life.
Of the 60 individuals marked for removal, 36 had been residing in Srinagar, while nine each were from Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Four were located in Budgam, and two from Shopian, according to officials.
Among those being repatriated is Shameema Akhtar, the mother of Constable Mudasir Ahmad Shaikh, who was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his bravery. Mudasir lost his life in May 2022 during a counter terrorism operation in which a group of foreign terrorists was intercepted by covert units of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Shameema had received her son’s gallantry medal from President Droupadi Murmu in a formal ceremony held in Delhi in May 2023. Her husband, Mohammad Maqsood, a retired law enforcement officer, stood beside her during the ceremony.
Her deportation has sparked criticism from family members. “My sister-in-law hails from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which belongs to us. Only those who are truly Pakistani citizens should be expelled,” said Mohammad Younus, Mudasir’s uncle, expressing disappointment.
He also pointed out that both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Lieutenant Governor had visited the family following Mudasir’s martyrdom. “She was just 20 when she arrived here. She’s been part of this community for 45 years now,” he added emotionally, appealing directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to reconsider the decision.
Shameema married Maqsood before terrorism took hold in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s. As a tribute to her son’s sacrifice, a central square in Baramulla town was renamed “Shaheed Mudasir Chowk.”
The deportation drive is part of a broader policy shift following the Pahalgam tragedy, signaling New Delhi’s hardened stance toward Islamabad amid a backdrop of renewed hostility and national mourning.
