Mother of Kashmiri Shaurya Chakra awardee not deported to Pakistan

Days after the tragic Pahalgam attack, Jammu and Kashmir authorities have transported 59 Pakistani nationals to Punjab for their repatriation to their country of origin, officials said in Srinagar.

According to officials, the Pakistani nationals, who were living in the valley for decades and included Shameema Akhtar, mother of late Shaurya Chakra awardee constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh — who died in May 2022 while fighting terrorists suspected to be targeting the Amarnath yatra — were collected from various districts and taken in buses to Punjab, where they will be handed over to Pakistani authorities. However, Shameema was later allowed to stay back.

In a carefully worded clarification, Shameema's brother-in-law Mohammad Younus said the martyr Mudasir's mother has returned home as she was not taken for deportation. "We are thankful to the government of India," Younus said.

Earlier, Mudasir's uncle had told reporters that his sister-in-law belonged to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and, as such, she should not have been deported. "My sister-in-law is from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which is our territory. Only Pakistanis should have been deported," Younus said.

After Mudasir's death, Union home minister Amit Shah visited the family, and so did the lieutenant-governor, twice, he said. "My bhabhi (brother's wife) was 20 years old when she came here and has been living here for 45 years now. My appeal to (PM Narendra) Modi and Amit Shah is that they should not do it," Younus said.

Shameema had married Mohammad Maqsood, now a retired police officer, before the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990. The main Baramulla town square has been named Shaheed Mudasir Chowk in memory of her son.

According to the citation for Sheikh, he was awarded the third-highest civilian award posthumously in 2022 for his role in thwarting a major terrorist plot targeting the Amarnath Yatra.

On 25 May 2022, credible intelligence was received regarding the movement of three heavily armed foreign terrorists travelling in a vehicle, with a sinister intention of attacking the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. In response to this input, a joint operation was swiftly launched by security forces in Baramulla in North Kashmir.

Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, "a seasoned and alert member of the operation team", was quick to identify and challenge a suspicious vehicle. Recognising the imminent threat, the terrorists tried to drive away. Sheikh acted decisively by charging at the vehicle, completely disregarding his safety.

In a display of raw bravery, he managed to physically drag one terrorist out of the vehicle. The brazen act triggered indiscriminate firing from the remaining terrorists, resulting in grievous injuries to Sheikh.

Despite bleeding profusely and battling excruciating pain, Sheikh remained undeterred and continued his hand-to-hand combat with the captured terrorist and eventually neutralised him. Sheikh, however, succumbed to wounds while being evacuated.

Shameema, accompanied by her husband, received the Shaurya Chakra from President Droupadi Murmu in Delhi in May 2023.

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack last week, the Centre announced a slew of measures, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic relations with Islamabad, and ordering all Pakistanis on short-term visas to leave India by 27 April or face action.

The 59 deportees include the wives and children of ex-militants, who returned to the valley under the 2010 rehabilitation policy for former ultras. Of them, 36 had been living in Srinagar, nine each in Kupwara, eight in Baramulla, four in Budgam, and two in Shopian district, officials said.