4,000 ‘misguided’ youth of state in PoK, Pakistan

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, APRIL 6

The state government today admitted that nearly 4,000 persons who crossed over to Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training to launch a war against the nation were waiting to return to J&K.

At least 453 such persons along with their wives have illegally returned to J&K via Nepal. Since the notification of the rehabilitation policy for such persons in 2010, none of them returned to the state through the four approved routes.

The four recognised routes are Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi; Wagah border, Amritsar; Salamabad in Baramullah of Kashmir division and Chakan da Bagh in Poonch district of the Jammu region.

“At least 453 such men along with 197 women (wives) and 603 children have returned via Nepal, which is not a recognised route. Reportedly, 4,000 such persons are in PoK and Pakistan,” said Minister for Horticulture Abdul Rehman Veeri on behalf of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who holds the charge of Home Department, while replying to a question by National Conference legislator Bashir Ahmad Veeri in the Legislative Council here.

The minister said the state government in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs had in November 2010 notified a rehabilitation policy and procedure for the return of “misguided” youth who had crossed over to PoK and Pakistan.

The policy was drafted on the recommendations of the Working Group-I constituted by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006. The minister, however, made no mention of the antecedents of the returnees who had gone to PoK and Pakistan.

Furthermore, the Home Department has described the returnees as “misguided” despite the fact that they crossed over to PoK and Pakistan for waging war against the nation.

The NC legislator, while expressing dissatisfaction over the government’s response on the rehabilitation of returnees, staged a walkout from the House and said it was “unfair” on the part of the government that it had no policy for such persons.