Pakistani wives of former militants rehabilitated in Kashmir under the 2010 government policy have made an emotional plea to the authorities, saying they would rather die than be
forced to return to Pakistan. The women, who came to Kashmir under the then- chief minister Omar Abdul- lah’s rehabilitation policy — aimed at reintegrating former militants who had renounced violence after undergoing arms training in Pakistan or Pakistan-Oc- cupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) — urged the govern- ment to either allow them to stay or send them back in “body bags.”
Alyza Rafiq, married to a former militant, has been living in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district since 2013. Fighting back tears, she said police had recently asked her to leave the coun- try.
“We have been told to leave. I have three children. They told me to leave my youngest daughter here. She is just a little child — how can I leave her?” Rafiq said. “How can I leave my husband behind? We built our home here under the government’s promise. We have election cards, Aadhaar cards. I have even voted. What crime have we committed?” she asked, appealing to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for intervention. “I beg the Governor sahib: please do not be cruel to us. We have done nothing wrong. Let us live here. Otherwise, kill us and send our bodies back across the border,” Rafiq said, her voice breaking. Another Pakistani woman, Zahida Begum, shared a similar plight, saying she could not imagine leaving her family. “Police have asked me to leave. I have two daughters, Maryam and Aamna, and a 10-year-old son, Faizan. They are telling me to leave my son here. How can I do that? I don’t want to go back. Please forgive me. I just want to live peacefully here,” she said. Begum displayed her domicile certificate, Aadhaar card, election ID, and ration card, all issued by Indian authorities. “It will destroy my children’s lives. We have been living here for 15 years peacefully. Even my children, born and raised here, do not want to leave,” she added.
The women’s appeals come at a time when dozens of such Pakistani wives, who had entered Kashmir legally under the rehabilitation policy, now face uncertainty about their legal status amid fresh security measures.