Jammu CRPF constable dismissed for marrying Pakistani cousin appeals for justice
SRINAGAR: CRPF constable Munir Ahmad from Jammu, dismissed for allegedly concealing his marriage to a Pakistani woman, appealed to PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for justice, claiming he followed all procedures and kept his department informed.
Ahmad was removed from service Saturday, with CRPF accusing him of hiding his marriage and 'knowingly harbouring' his wife after her visa expired.
At a press conference Sunday, Ahmad said he was being punished despite his wife's long-term visa (LTV) application being under active consideration and backed by a J&K high court order. 'FRO had approved her stay, and the High Court acknowledged this,' he said.
Ahmad said his marriage to cousin Menal Khan was arranged by their parents in childhood. 'Before 1947, our family lived together in one place,' he said. 'The partition happened in Handwal village of Bhalwal tehsil in Jammu. Some of our family stayed on one side, others on the other. But we used to visit each other.'
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On Dec 31, 2022, he formally informed CRPF of his intent to marry. The department requested details, which he submitted through official channels, including affidavits. He said he received a positive response from CRPF's directorate on March 30, 2024, and the two were married via video conference on May 24, 2024.
Menal arrived in India on Feb 28 this year on a 15-day visa and applied for an LTV. Her interview was conducted and on March 13, they were informed her application had been forwarded to higher authorities. 'Her visa expired on March 14, but we came under the LTV category,' Ahmad said.
After the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, authorities began deportation proceedings against Pakistani nationals and pushing cross-border families into uncertainty.
Menal was issued a deportation notice, which the high court stayed. She was brought back from the Attari border in Punjab on April 29.
Just days later, Ahmad was dismissed. 'The notice said I had informed the department of the marriage but illegally kept my wife after her visa expired,' he said. 'But she wasn't overstaying — her LTV was pending and the court had intervened. I followed every rule and kept the department in the loop.'
Earlier, J&K police head constable Iftkhar Ali was nearly deported along with eight siblings in what he claimed was a conspiracy by a distant relative to grab their ancestral land in Jammu region's Poonch district. Ali's ordeal ended only after the high court intervened on April 29.
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