Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 19: Another militant from Surankote in Poonch district was today arrested by police at Bhimber Gali in Poonch along with his Pakistani wife and three children after they reached the border district after crossing from Nepal border.
The influx of militants from Jammu and Kashmir, who had gone to Pakistan and PoK for arms training about a decade or more for arms training but were held up there, has been on the rise with a number of youth taking Nepal route to enter India and then reach different parts of Jammu and Kashmir including Poonch, Kishtwar and the Kashmir Valley.
SSP Poonch Shamsheer Hussain said police team intercepted an Uttar Pradesh registration number TATA Sumo UP028Q 123 at Bhimber Gali this evening and arrested the militant, his wife and three children.
The militant has been identified as Sarfaraz Ahmed, 34, son of Abdul Gani, a resident of village Hari Safeda, Surankote and his Pakistan wife as Shaheen Akhter. The three children were aged seven years, five years and two years identified as Mujtaba (male) Tabinda (female) and Arshad (male) respectively.
The militant, his wife and children have been shifted to local police station for sustained questioning.
Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that Sarfaraz Ahmad had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from the Lone of Control (LoC) in Mendhar sector of Poonch district in 1999 for arms training on being motivated by the Hizb-ul-Islami. He returned in 2001 but again crossed over to PoK in 2002.
After arms training in different camps, Sarfaraz Ahmad was held up in PoK. Later, he abandoned the training camps and married local girl Shaheen Akhter in 2004. He had three children from Akhter. Sarfaraz was working in a local shop but was in regular touch with his family back home telephonically.
His family had been persuading Sarfaraz to return home with his wife and children. The family had also registered his name with police for return from PoK under the Rehabilitation Policy of the State Government.
Sources said Sarfaraz managed to get passport and visa and flew to Kathmandu, Nepal from Karachi. He reached Kathmandu on July 16 and entered into India via Gorakhpur on Nepal-Uttar Pradesh border. He boarded the TATA Sumo and was on way to his residence at resident at Hari Safeda in Surankote when he was nabbed by police party headed by SDPO Mendhar Amit Bhasin.
Prior to him, a number of militants have returned to Kashmir, Kishtwar, and Poonch taking Nepal route along with Pakistan wives and children as they were fed up with their lives in Pakistan and PoK.
Recently, two militants of Surankote had reached the LoC near Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district and wanted to enter into this side. However, Army had refused to allow them in on the ground that they were taking illegal route.
Sources said security agencies were expecting return of more militants in Jammu and Kashmir via Nepal route in the next few days.
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