SRINAGAR: In a move that has stirred controversy amid heightened national security concerns following the recent Pahalgam terror attack, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has dismissed a jawan from service for allegedly concealing his marriage to a Pakistani woman. The jawan, Munir Ahmed of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, has denied the charge and vowed to challenge his dismissal in court.
The CRPF, in an official order issued on Saturday by the Commandant of the 41st Battalion in Bangrasia, Bhopal — where Ahmed was recently transferred — stated that his marriage to a Pakistani national was not reported to the appropriate authorities. The force cited concerns of national security and dismissed him under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution, bypassing a formal inquiry.
According to the order, Ahmed was found to have “harboured a Pakistani national in India who was on a short-term visa and also married her without intimation to the competent authority, amounting to grave misconduct.” The dismissal, the order said, was warranted as “security of the nation has been compromised.”
Ahmed, however, has firmly rejected the allegation. Speaking to the media from his home, he maintained that he had officially informed the CRPF Directorate of his intention to marry Minal Khan, his cousin from Pakistan, as early as December 2022. He also said he had submitted the required documentation — including affidavits from local representatives and family members — and received verbal and written acknowledgement from CRPF headquarters in April 2024.
“We got married online on May 24 last year,” Ahmed said, adding that Minal entered India on a valid short-term visa on February 28. Her visa expired on March 22 this year, after which the couple applied for a Long-Term Visa (LTV) and appeared for an interview with the Foreigners Registration Officer in Jammu on March 13.
Ahmed further stated that he had kept his unit informed, including after his transfer from the 72 Battalion in Poonch to the 41st Battalion in Bhopal in late March. “I completed all documentation, including updating my battalion data record book with details of my marriage. Yet, I was dismissed without a hearing,” he said, terming the action “arbitrary and shocking.”
He also revealed that his wife was issued a ‘Leave India’ notice soon after the Pahalgam attack on April 22, in which 26 people — mostly tourists — were killed. Minal was escorted to the Attari border for deportation, but the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court granted interim relief at the last minute, allowing her to stay in India pending further proceedings.
The case has not only raised questions about procedure and communication within the CRPF but has also triggered a political reaction. The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the deportation orders issued against Pakistani nationals in the wake of the terror attack, arguing that emotional ties such as marriage should not override national security concerns.
“They may be sleeper cells, planted by Pakistan’s ISI. Overstaying Pakistanis, even if married to Indians, cannot claim long-term visas on emotional grounds,” said Sunil Sethi, chief spokesperson of the J&K BJP. He asserted that Kashmiris had largely stood in solidarity with the victims of the April 22 attack, marking a shift in public sentiment since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
Ironically, Minal Khan’s deportation was legally challenged by Ankur Sharma, a BJP leader and lawyer, who secured a High Court stay. Sethi, however, said legal assistance in such cases should not be confused with political endorsement, and reiterated the party’s tough stance on national security.
As the legal battle begins, Munir Ahmed maintains that he has done no wrong and followed all formalities. “I am hopeful the court will restore my dignity and my job,” he said.
The CRPF has yet to respond officially to his claims.
