“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 Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) 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 village…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 said.
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.