Srinagar: Zahida Begum and Nowreen, two Pakistani women married to former militants rehabilitated in Kashmir, have made an emotional appeal to stay in the region they have called home for over a decade.
Both women, who came to Kashmir under the 2010 rehabilitation policy, now face the threat of being forced to return to Pakistan, a prospect they say would ruin their lives and those of their children.
Zahida Begum, who has lived in Kashmir for 15 years, spoke of her deep distress as authorities allegedly asked her to leave. “I do not want to go back,” she said.
“I want to live here with my children. They don’t want to go back either. Please forgive me. I have lived peacefully here, and now they want to take that away,” she added.
Begum, who holds a domicile certificate, Aadhar, election card, and ration card documents issued by the government pleaded for the right to stay. “This will ruin the lives of my children,” she said.
“I have built a life here, a peaceful life. My children don’t want to go back either. Please let us live here,” she added.
Nowreen, another Pakistani woman in a similar situation, echoed Begum’s sentiments.
She said she has lived a stable life with her family in Kashmir, and the idea of returning to Pakistan is unbearable.
“We came here to live a better life, not to face the same turmoil again,” she said. Nowreen also displayed her Aadhar and election cards, emphasizing her deep ties to the region.
“I don’t want to leave. This is my home. I have raised my children here, and now they want to take us away from everything we’ve built,” she said.
Any Pakistani, who fails to leave India as per the deadlines set by the government, will be arrested, prosecuted and may face a jail term of up to three years or a fine of a maximum Rs 3 lakh or both, as per the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025.
The Act which came into effect on April 4 outlines punishment for those overstaying their visas, violating visa conditions, or trespassing in restricted areas.
Last week, the Indian government announced that Pakistani nationals will not be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC visa exemption scheme (SVES), and any Pakistani national currently in India under the SVES visa has 48 hours to leave India—(KNO)
