Latest news with #IftkharAli
NDTV
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Born To Serve J&K Police, India": Cop After High Court Stays His Pak Deportation
Jammu: "I am born to serve the Jammu and Kashmir Police and my country, India," 45-year-old policeman Iftkhar Ali said on Saturday, just days after he and his eight siblings narrowly escaped deportation to Pakistan - a fate averted only through the timely intervention of the high court. For Ali, who hails from Mendhar sub-division near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, the uniform is more than a job - it's a calling. He has dedicated nearly half his life in the police force, serving its various wings with distinction and earning multiple commendations for his courage and unwavering commitment to duty. He was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and said he was confident that the country's leadership will not allow his handing over to the "enemy nation" on the "mere conspiracy" that they belong to the part of J&K which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan. The nine members of the extended family were among over two dozen people mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) who were served 'Leave India' notices by the authorities in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts and were taken to Punjab for deportation to Pakistan on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, Ali and his eight siblings - Mohd Shafiq (60), Nashroon Akhter (56), Akseer Akhter (54), Mohd Shakoor (52), Naseem Akhter (50), Zulfqar Ali (49), Koser Parveen (47) and Shazia Tabasum (42) -- were brought back to their village in Poonch after the High Court of J&K and Ladakh admitted their petition claiming that they were not Pakistani nationals and have been living in Salwah village for generations and stayed their deportation. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead, the Centre announced a slew of measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations with Islamabad, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27 or face action. "We have a centuries-old history of being the bona fide residents of Salwah with both our parents and other ancestors were buried in the notice (on April 26 by Deputy Commissioner, Poonch) came as a shocker to our family comprising more than 200 members, including some serving in the Army," Ali told PTI. Ali lives with his wife and three children, all aged between six and 11 years. In the midst of the situation, he said they decided to approach the high court and are grateful to the judiciary for giving them respite. "(The) petitioners are not asked or forced to leave UT of Jammu & Kashmir. This direction is, however, subject to objections from the other side," Justice Rahul Bharti said in an order on Tuesday after hearing the plea of Ali, who is currently posted at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. The court directed the Deputy Commissioner, Poonch to come forward with furnishing of an affidavit with respect to the status of property holding if any by the petitioners and set May 20 as the next date of hearing of the case. "We have a land holding of nearly five hectares with another two hectares illegally usurped by my maternal uncle with whom we are having a long dispute. The deportation notice is the outcome of that very dispute because they do not want to return our land," Ali claimed. According to officials, Ali's father Faqur Din and mother Fatima Bi spent a long time at a camp in Tralkhal after they crossed over to PoK during the 1965 war. The couple and their nine children returned to their village in 1983. After a long struggle, they were admitted as permanent residents by the J&K government between 1997 and 2000 but their nationality still remained pending with the central government, they said. "I have served all the wings in the police department over the past 27 years, which is evident from the scars on my body, and the citations and rewards which I have received from the department for shedding my sweat and blood for the country," Ali said. He said the most painful moment of his life was when he was told that he did not belong to this country. "I do not belong to Pakistan and nobody is there for me. I belong to India and this is my country. I love the police from the core of my heart and I am ready to sacrifice my life for the country," Ali said, reiterating his pledge to protect this land with every breath he takes. He also thanked his lawyers and also the sociopolitical activist Safeer Choudhary who extended his support to the family. "I also come from Mendhar and I know they have a genuine case so I came forward on humanitarian grounds to mobilise support in their favour so that they are not deported to Pakistan," Choudhary said.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Born to serve J&K police and my country': Cop, family spared deportation to Pakistan after HC steps in
NEW DELHI: 'I am born to serve the Jammu and Kashmir Police and my country, India,' said 45-year-old policeman Iftkhar Ali on Saturday, days after he and his eight siblings narrowly escaped being deported to Pakistan. The intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high court saved them from being sent across the border, a move Ali called a 'conspiracy' rooted in false claims about their nationality. Ali, a resident of Salwah village in Mendhar sub-division near the Line of Control in Poonch district, has served in the police force for 27 years, earning multiple commendations for his dedication and bravery. 'I have served all the wings in the police department over the past 27 years, which is evident from the scars on my body, and the citations and rewards which I have received from the department for shedding my sweat and blood for the country,' he said. Ali was among over two dozen individuals, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were issued 'Leave India' notices in Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu districts last week. Many were taken to Punjab for deportation. However, after filing a petition, Ali and his siblings—Mohd Shafiq (60), Nashroon Akhter (56), Akseer Akhter (54), Mohd Shakoor (52), Naseem Akhter (50), Zulfqar Ali (49), Koser Parveen (47), and Shazia Tabasum (42) -- were brought back to their native village when the court stayed the deportation order. Justice Rahul Bharti, hearing their plea, stated, '(The) petitioners are not asked or forced to leave UT of Jammu & Kashmir. This direction is, however, subject to objections from the other side.' The Deputy Commissioner of Poonch has been asked to submit an affidavit detailing the petitioners' property status, with the next hearing scheduled for May 20. Ali claims the deportation notice was triggered by a long-standing land dispute with his maternal uncle. 'We have a land holding of nearly five hectares with another two hectares illegally usurped by my maternal uncle... The deportation notice is the outcome of that very dispute because they do not want to return our land,' he said. According to officials, Ali's parents—Faqur Din and Fatima Bi—had crossed into PoK during the 1965 war and spent years in a Tralkhal refugee camp before returning to Salwah in 1983 with their children. Between 1997 and 2000, the J&K government admitted them as permanent residents, though their citizenship status remains pending with the Centre. The family's ordeal came amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. In response, the Centre announced strict measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27. 'We have a centuries-old history of being the bona fide residents of Salwah with both our parents and other ancestors buried in the village… the notice came as a shocker to our family comprising more than 200 members, including some serving in the Army,' Ali said. He currently serves in Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, and lives with his wife and three children aged 6 to 11. Despite the trauma, Ali expressed confidence in India's leadership. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, saying, 'I am confident that the country's leadership will not allow [my] handing over to the 'enemy nation' on the 'mere conspiracy' that they belong to the part of J&K which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan.' 'The most painful moment of my life was when I was told that I did not belong to this country,' he recalled. 'I do not belong to Pakistan and nobody is there for me. I belong to India and this is my country. I love the police from the core of my heart and I am ready to sacrifice my life for the country.' Ali also expressed gratitude to his legal team and socio-political activist Safeer Choudhary, who supported the family during the crisis. 'I also come from Mendhar and I know they have a genuine case so I came forward on humanitarian grounds to mobilise support in their favour so that they are not deported to Pakistan,' Choudhary said.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Born to serve J&K police and my country India: Cop after High Court stays his deportation to Pakistan
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel "I am born to serve the Jammu and Kashmir Police and my country, India," 45-year-old policeman Iftkhar Ali said on Saturday, just days after he and his eight siblings narrowly escaped deportation to Pakistan - a fate averted only through the timely intervention of the high Ali, who hails from Mendhar sub-division near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, the uniform is more than a job - it's a calling. He has dedicated nearly half his life in the police force, serving its various wings with distinction and earning multiple commendations for his courage and unwavering commitment to was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and said he was confident that the country's leadership will not allow his handing over to the "enemy nation" on the "mere conspiracy" that they belong to the part of J&K which is under illegal occupation of nine members of the extended family were among over two dozen people mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) who were served 'Leave India' notices by the authorities in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts and were taken to Punjab for deportation to Pakistan on Tuesday and Ali and his eight siblings - Mohd Shafiq (60), Nashroon Akhter (56), Akseer Akhter (54), Mohd Shakoor (52), Naseem Akhter (50), Zulfqar Ali (49), Koser Parveen (47) and Shazia Tabasum (42) -- were brought back to their village in Poonch after the High Court of J&K and Ladakh admitted their petition claiming that they were not Pakistani nationals and have been living in Salwah village for generations and stayed their the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead, the Centre announced a slew of measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations with Islamabad, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by April 27 or face action."We have a centuries-old history of being the bona fide residents of Salwah with both our parents and other ancestors were buried in the notice (on April 26 by Deputy Commissioner, Poonch) came as a shocker to our family comprising more than 200 members, including some serving in the Army," Ali told lives with his wife and three children, all aged between six and 11 the midst of the situation, he said they decided to approach the high court and are grateful to the judiciary for giving them respite."(The) petitioners are not asked or forced to leave UT of Jammu & Kashmir. This direction is, however, subject to objections from the other side," Justice Rahul Bharti said in an order on Tuesday after hearing the plea of Ali, who is currently posted at Katra, the base camp for the pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi court directed the Deputy Commissioner, Poonch to come forward with furnishing of an affidavit with respect to the status of property holding if any by the petitioners and set May 20 as the next date of hearing of the case."We have a land holding of nearly five hectares with another two hectares illegally usurped by my maternal uncle with whom we are having a long dispute. The deportation notice is the outcome of that very dispute because they do not want to return our land," Ali to officials, Ali's father Faqur Din and mother Fatima Bi spent a long time at a camp in Tralkhal after they crossed over to PoK during the 1965 war. The couple and their nine children returned to their village in a long struggle, they were admitted as permanent residents by the J&K government between 1997 and 2000 but their nationality still remained pending with the central government, they said."I have served all the wings in the police department over the past 27 years, which is evident from the scars on my body, and the citations and rewards which I have received from the department for shedding my sweat and blood for the country," Ali said the most painful moment of his life was when he was told that he did not belong to this country."I do not belong to Pakistan and nobody is there for me. I belong to India and this is my country. I love the police from the core of my heart and I am ready to sacrifice my life for the country," Ali said, reiterating his pledge to protect this land with every breath he also thanked his lawyers and also the sociopolitical activist Safeer Choudhary who extended his support to the family."I also come from Mendhar and I know they have a genuine case so I came forward on humanitarian grounds to mobilise support in their favour so that they are not deported to Pakistan," Choudhary said.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Bordered by greed: J&K cop, siblings nearly deported over land grab plot
SRINAGAR: J&K police head constable Iftkhar Ali believes it was a land dispute that nearly tore apart his life, his family, and his identity as an Indian citizen. A distant relative, he claims, manipulated authorities to serve deportation notices to him and eight of his siblings — all in an alleged bid to seize their ancestral property of 17 acres in J&K Poonch district. 'I think a revenue official, who is our distant relative, influenced the authorities and they sent us notices without confirmation. He wanted to grab my land. It should be investigated,' Ali said Thursday. 'How can a conspiracy driven by greed for land rob me of my children, my country, and put us to such agony?' The 45-year-old head constable posted at the Vaishno Devi shrine's Katra base camp was on official duty in Jammu on April 26 when he was handed a deportation order by local police. The notice, issued by the Poonch DC, directed him and his siblings — three brothers and five sisters, all between 45 and 65 — to leave India by April 29 and cross into Pakistan. 'The notice was in my hand and suddenly, from a police officer I became a person without a country,' Ali said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like [Click Here] - 2025 Top Trending Search - Local network access Esseps Learn More Undo The orders followed the Centre's directive to identify and deport Pakistani nationals in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Somehow, despite his govt job and decades of residency, Ali's name was included. His department intervened, sparing him from immediate deportation and keeping him at Gandhi Nagar police station in Jammu. His siblings, however, were put on the road to the Attari border in Punjab. At home, his wife Shahnaz Kousar and their three children — 12-year-old Nawaish, 9-year-old Ayaan, and 7-year-old Ziyaan — were left in anguish. 'I cannot describe how I have spent the past seven days. I was living a hell,' Ali said. 'When a man dies, he is buried in a grave. Here I am alive and I was thinking I couldn't be with my children ever.' Ali's roots in India run deep. His father Faqir Din was a hereditary state subject and an Indian citizen under the 1955 Citizenship Act. During the 1965 war, Din and his family were forced into PoK when their village Salwah came under Pakistani control. There, six more children, including Iftkhar, were born. The family returned to J&K in the 1980s and were officially granted state subject status in 1997. On April 29, J&K high court stayed the deportation. 'Outside the police station in Poonch on Thursday evening, I felt back in life,' Ali said. 'I am happy now, but will the trauma of this week live with us for long?'
Scroll.in
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Jammu and Kashmir HC halts deportation of police constable, eight siblings to Pakistan
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday halted the deportation of a police constable and his eight siblings to Pakistan after notices were sent to them to leave India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, PTI reported. However, the current location of the siblings, who had been transported to the Attari-Wagah border near Punjab's Amritsar by authorities before the stay order, is not known, The Indian Express reported. Poonch Senior Superintendent of Police Shafqat Hussain told the newspaper that there was 'uncertainty about their whereabouts'. In the wake of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, India had ordered all Pakistani citizens in the country to leave by April 27, and also suspended visa services to Pakistani citizens with immediate effect. The case On Saturday, the deputy commissioner in Poonch district issued a deportation notice to 45-year-old Iftkhar Ali, a constable who had been working with the Jammu and Kashmir Police for 27 years, The Times of India reported. His elder brothers Zulfqar Ali, Mohammad Shafiq, Mohammad Shakoor and his sisters Shazia Tabsam, Kouser Parveen, Naseem Akhter, Akseer Akhtar and Nashroon Akhter were also served notices. All of them are residents of Salwah in the district. A day later, all nine of them were taken into custody by the police and driven to the Attari-Wagah border for deportation, according to The Times of India. Iftkhar Ali and his siblings, however, challenged the deportation orders in court. On Wednesday, Justice Rahul Bharti directed the authorities to ensure that the nine petitioners 'not be asked or forced to leave' the Union Territory. The judge added that a preliminary case was made out by the revenue papers submitted by their counsel that they were not Pakistani citizens. The court also asked the authorities to submit their objections to the petition, and listed the matter for hearing on May 20. In their petition, Iftkhar Ali and his siblings claimed that their father Faqur Din was a 'hereditary state subject' as per a permanent resident certificate that ceased to exist after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, The Indian Express reported. Din was also an Indian citizen under the 1955 Citizenship Act, the petition said, adding that their family owned about 17 acres of land and a house at Salwah village. However, Pakistan had taken over areas along the Line of Control, including where Din, his wife and three children were settled, during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the petition said. Subsequently, Din and his family spent years at a camp in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, The Indian Express reported. The petition said that Din had made frequent representations to the Pakistan government to aid them in their return to Salwah. The family eventually returned to the village between the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to the newspaper. A petition by Din to the court seeking directions that they not be moved out of Jammu and Kashmir had been rejected, the petition noted. The court had said that citizenship could only be decided by an appropriate authority and directed him to approach the Centre. In 1997, the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir issued ' state subject ' status, or permanent resident status, to Iftkhar Ali. His siblings were granted the status in 2000. However, the petitioners claimed that this status was cancelled on the basis of 'false' complaints by their relatives in a matter related to a property dispute, The Indian Express reported. The siblings said that the matter was still pending before the court. Pahalgam terror attack Twenty-six persons were killed and 17 were injured in the attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The attack took place in the Baisaran area of Anantnag district. Militants fired at tourists, most of whom were from outside the state. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those who died were Hindu. At least 537 Pakistanis
