Let Us Stay or Send Us in Body Bags”: Pakistani Wives of Ex-Militants Plead for Justice in Kashmir

Bandipora, Apr 28 (PTK) —In a heart-wrenching appeal, Pakistani wives of ex-militants, who had returned to Kashmir under the 2010 rehabilitation policy, have urged the government to either allow them to stay or send them back in “body bags.”

Many of these women, who arrived in Kashmir alongside their husbands seeking a new life away from violence, now face the grim prospect of deportation. Living in Kashmir for over a decade, they say they have built homes, raised families, and integrated into the society — and returning to Pakistan is not an option for them anymore.

Alyza Rafiq, who came to Kashmir in 2013 under the then-chief minister Omar Abdullah’s rehabilitation policy, shared her ordeal tearfully.

“We have been asked to leave the country. I have three children. How can I leave my youngest daughter here? How can I leave my husband? We have built a life here. We have done nothing wrong,” Rafiq told PTK.

Holding up her Aadhaar card, election card, and ration card, she said,

“We came here because of the government’s policy. I have even voted in elections. I appeal to the Governor sahib — please don’t be cruel. If you cannot allow us to stay, then kill us and send our bodies across the border.”

Similar anguish was echoed by Zahida Begum, another woman facing deportation threats.

“Police have asked me to leave. I do not want to go back. I have two daughters and a son. They want me to leave my children here. How is that possible?” Begum pleaded.
“I have all valid documents issued by the government. I have lived here for 15 years. Even my children don’t know any other home but Kashmir.”

Both women, along with many others, had come to Kashmir after their husbands renounced militancy and responded to the government’s call for a peaceful reintegration.

Displaying documents including domicile certificates, ration cards, Aadhaar, and voter ID cards, these women assert they are not outsiders anymore but contributors to Kashmir’s society.

The emotional appeals come at a time when the administration has reportedly intensified scrutiny of individuals who came to Kashmir through the rehabilitation policy route.

As their fate hangs in uncertainty, the Pakistani wives of ex-militants await a response from the government, hoping their pleas for compassion and justice will not go unheard.

(PTK)