Indian officials stop AJK woman from returning to Pakistan

Despite being informed in advance by Pakistani official, Indian authorities, reportedly without a valid reason, refused to allow a Muzaffarabad woman to return to her home.

Kubra Gillani, 27, was stopped at the Attari-Wagah border when Indian official did not let her cross over to Pakistan. The woman has been stuck in occupied Kashmir since November 2018 — when her marriage ended with a local from the held territory.

On Feb 27, the Foreign Ministry had directed the Pakistani mission in Delhi to take up the matter of Gillani’s repatriation with the relevant Indian authorities on an urgent basis.

Subsequently, the Muzaffarabad woman had arrived in New Delhi from Srinagar on April 1 to collect her travel documents from the Pakistan High Commission for the border crossing.

Afterwards, the Pakistan mission had written to India’s immigration officer and the deputy commissioner customs at Attari (Amritsar) to notify them about the traveling of Gillani to Pakistan on April 3 via the Attari border.

Gillani had reached Attari border at about 10am on Wednesday, but the Indian authorities did not permit her to cross the border and instead sent her back, though she possessed a valid passport and other requisite documents issued by the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

In a voice message from Attari, Gillani said: “They [Indians] have sent me back. Nothing has happened. I tried my best but they did not listen to me.”