CRPF dismisses jawan who married Pakistani woman without intimation

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Saturday sacked a jawan for marrying a Pakistani national without obtaining the mandatory departmental clearance — an act that has been viewed as a serious breach of laid protocols.

According to the CRPF, Constable Munir Ahmed, who was posted in the 41st Battalion, has been dismissed from the service with “immediate effect” for concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national and “knowingly harbouring” her beyond the validity of her visa.

“His actions were found to be in violation of service conduct and detrimental to national security,” the CRPF said.

Notably, the jawan had submitted a request to marry his cousin Menal Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in PoK. However, before the CRPF could issue a formal response or grant a no-objection certificate (NOC), the marriage was reportedly solemnised.

The matter was taken on added sensitivity in the wake of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. As part of heightened security measures, India had suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals and directed all Pakistani citizens in the country to exit before the expiration of their visas.

Sources indicate that the CRPF’s Jammu and Kashmir Zone had recommended against granting the jawan’s request, citing national security concerns. The matter was forwarded to higher authorities for a policy-level decision, given the sensitive nature of cross-border matrimonial cases.

An internal review was then undertaken, in which several procedural lapses, including the constable’s failure to inform the department that his spouse remained in India beyond the validity of her tourist visa, were flagged by the senior officers.

While the constable claimed that a long-term visa application had been filed, he did not formally notify the department of this development.

Officials said the constable’s conduct amounted to a violation of Rule 21(3) of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which governs personal relationships with foreign nationals and requires prior government approval for such unions.

Following government instructions to enforce the exit of Pakistani nationals, the constable’s spouse was taken to the Wagah border for deportation. Parallelly, she also approached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, which granted a 10-day stay on her deportation on April 29, pending further legal proceedings.

Advocate Ankur Sharma, who represented the Pakistani woman before the high court, said the Home Ministry’s “Leave India” order had exempted two types of Pakistani nationals — those holding diplomatic visas and long-term visas. He said Minal had applied for an LTV and was interviewed. A positive recommendation has reportedly gone to the Home Ministry, he said.

“She was sent back after the court passed an interim order,” he said, adding that her deportation status would depend on the outcome of her visa application.