By Sameer Ahmad
Anantnag: A Pakistani women married to Kashmiri ex militant who returned from Muzaffarabad under government rehabilitation policy is awaiting for the day she would see her family back while her father and sister died along the time and she couldn’t meet them for the last time.
Kubra Geelani 25, daughter of Syeed Lateef Hussain Geelani born in Muzafarabad Tehsil Domail in Pakistan married in 2010 to a kashmiri Boy Mohd Altaf Rather of Panzgam Kokernag area in Anantnag District in Muzaffarabad.
Her life took a turn when the couple decided to come back to Kashmir under much hyped militant rehabilitation policy.
“We thought government was true to its promise and we would live a normal life among the family but I regret that decision as governments promise only was a hoax,” Kubra laments.
When Qubra entered village Panzgam kokernag for the first time in year 2014, she was overwhelmed with the new world around her.
Rather had crossed LOC in 90s to undergo arms training like hundreds of other Kashmiri youngsters but he soon settled there and started a new life.
Rather’s yearning for home didn’t end and after eleven years of living in Muzafarabad Pakistan, he found a ray of hope when the J&K government announced rehabilitation policy for the militants.
In 2010, the Government of India proposed a second militant rehabilitation policy. The policy proposed by the then Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, was termed a “big confidence-building measure”.
It was projected as granting amnesty to Kashmiri youth who “had crossed over to PoK/Pakistan for training in insurgency but have given up insurgent activities due to a change of heart and are willing to return to the state.”
The policy appealed to all men who had gone to PoK/Pakistan between January 1989 and December 2009. It also said, “wives, children and other dependents of those returnees who have married in PoK/Pakistan during the period 1.1.1989 to 31.12.2009, will be considered for entry into the country as per the existing laws of the land and the necessary certificate for entry will be issued to them”.
“In year 2014 month June when we returned back from Pakistan. We began process of completing and getting documents for Qubra but till now nothing has been done. They have no official identification and government is not accepting them as part of our society,” Rather said.
Rather is a labourer by profession.
He said that in March 2017 Qubra received a phone call from Pakistan that her elder sister is very ill and she wants to meet her at her home in Pakistan.
“We approached politicians, administration sometimes even to Pakistan embassy to help her travel back home but to no avail. Her please fell to deaf ears,” Rather said.
It was only few months pass that tragic episode that Qubra was informed that her father wants to have a last glimpse of her.
“He was terminally ill and wanted to see me one last time. But neither did government understand the longing of a daughter to see her ill father and nor pain of the father who wanted to see her daughter. He passed away in that grief,” Qurbra said with moist eyes.
Rather and Qubra are separated now and with no where to go she lives with those Pakistani women who returned from Pakistan along with their husbands and have same story to narrate.
“I live with them for some time and then shift to some other Pakistani woman. They too have same plight and they understand my pain,” Qubra said.
According to Qubra, the couple had no children and that tore apart the relationship.
“Since I am not married to him can’t this government just let me go back and not live life full of miseries here where I am not even recognised as a citizen,” she said.
In pain, she said that she at times went to border to cross over but would be stopped by forces and asked to leave.
“I live for the day I would go back to my family and see them once again. I want to visit to the grave of my father and sister who waited for me and yearned to see me. May be my visit to their grave may sooth them and they might be waiting for me to visit to their grave,” Qubra said while wiping tears.
