SRINAGAR: J&K high court halted on Wednesday the deportation of a police head constable and his eight siblings to Pakistan, ruling they are prima facie residents of the UT. The family, sent to Attari border in Punjab, is now returning home in Jammu's Poonch district.
Tired of too many ads?
Officials had issued deportation notices on April 26 to head constable Ifthkar Ali, 45, and his five sisters and four brothers, claiming they were Pakistani nationals. The next day, police summoned them to a local station before sending them to Attari. Their removal was part of a broader govt crackdown following the Pahalgam attack on April 22.
Ali, who has been with J&K police for over 26 years, challenged the deportation in court. He presented revenue documents proving his family owns land in Salwah, a village along the LoC.
"Revenue documents are taken on record... prima facie establish that petitioners are bona fide residents of J&K belonging to Poonch," the court said, directing the authorities to stop the deportation.