Committee Established to Identify Foreigners Illegally Staying in J&K

• 21 Oct 2023

Recently, the home department of Jammu & Kashmir (JK) set up a high-level committee tasked with identifying foreign nationals who have been residing in the Union Territory without proper authorization since January 1, 2011.

Key Points

• Monthly Reporting Mandate: The committee's principal duty, as outlined in the official order, is to compile a monthly report detailing the presence of unauthorized foreigners in J&K.
• This report must be submitted to the Union home ministry by the seventh day of each month.
• Addressing Visa Overstays: There have been instances where foreigners have extended their stays by falsely claiming involvement with NGOs or sports activities in Kashmir. Subsequently, authorities have taken measures to deport such individuals.
• Implications for a Specific Group: This undertaking may have ramifications for more than 350 women from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan.
• These women had married Kashmiri militants after crossing the border for arms training in the neighboring country during the 1990s and early 2000s.
• They arrived in the Valley post-2010 under a special package introduced by the National Conference-Congress coalition government led by Omar Abdullah.
• This initiative aimed to reintegrate individuals who had renounced insurgent activities.