I Married Pak Woman Only After Getting Nod From Higher-ups: Sacked CRPF Jawan

Srinagar: Munir Ahmed, the CRPF jawan who was a day ago sacked over allegedly concealing his marriage with a Pakistani woman- the behaviour seen by the authorities as a violation of service conduct and detrimental to the national security- claimed on Sunday that he kept his seniors in the loop about his nuptial plan from day one.

While addressing a hurriedly called press conference in Jammu, Ahmed, a resident of (Jammu’s) Gharotra area who was serving in the CRPF’s 41st Battalion at Bhopal, said that his Pakistani bride Minal Khan is his cousin, and it is totally false rather a concocted story that they had met online and fell in love.

“She is the daughter of my maternal uncle, who migrated from Jammu to Pakistan during partition in 1947. The media reports suggesting that we met online and subsequently got married is false and concocted. Our is an arranged marriage,” he said.

He claimed that since his father was unwell, the family could not wait for his would-be-bride to be issued an Indian visa so that his wish could be fulfilled in his lifetime and, therefore, an online Nikah was solemnised in May 2024.

He said that the CRPF authorities were kept posted on the situation. “I informed the concerned authorities about my wish to marry my cousin, a Pakistani national, through a letter written on December 31, 2022. I was asked to complete formalities like enclosing copies of my passport, a wedding card and affidavits and the proposed marriage destination, which I did immediately. Not only did I submit my own affidavit along with other relevant documents but also that (affidavit) of my parents, sarpanch, and district development council member through proper channels and finally got a go-ahead from the headquarters on April 30, 2024,” he said.

Mr. Ahmed said that regarding the request for the issuance of a ‘No Objection Certificate (NOC)’, he was told that such a provision is not available, and that since he has already completed the formalities by informing the government about his marriage to a foreign national in accordance with the rules he can go ahead with his plan. “We got married through a video call on May 24 last year. Subsequently, I submitted marriage pictures, a copy of the Nikah document and the marriage certificate to the 72nd Battalion, where I was posted,” he said.

Ms. Khan reached India on February 28 this year on a 15-day visa following which she applied for a long-term visa, he said, adding that all the formalities were completed before the expiry of the visitor’s visa issued to her.

He said that he reported back to duty after availing the wedding leave but on March 25 he was asked to report to the battalion headquarters at Sunderbani (Udhampur district) and two days later he was handed over an order transferring him from the 72nd Battalion and posting him with the 41st Battalion at Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) without providing him the 15 days mandatory joining period.

“I was given the order copy and relieved immediately, leaving me with no option but to join my duties in Bhopal. I did it on March 29 and faced an interview with my new commanding officer and his deputy. I also completed the documentation process, clearly mentioning my marriage to a Pakistani woman which was logged in the battalion data record book,” he said.

Mr. Khan said that these facts when substantiated with documentary proof helped the couple in obtaining a court order staying his spouse’s deportation. Ms. Khan was among hundreds of Pakistani nationals staying in Jammu and Kashmir who were ordered to be deported as India, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, revoked visas for Pakistani nationals. She was taken to the Attari-Wagah border for deportation but brought back after the J&K and Ladakh High Court on April 29 granted her a 10-day stay, allowing her to return to Jammu pending further hearings on her long-term visa application.

On Saturday, Mr. Ahmed was dismissed from service with immediate effect for “concealing” his marriage to a Pakistani national and “knowingly harbouring” her beyond the validity of her visa. “His actions were found to be in violation of service conduct and detrimental to national security,” the officials had said, adding that the CRPF had ordered an internal inquiry into the conduct of Ahmed after his Pakistani wife Minal Khan was ordered to be deported.

The probe, the officials said, revealed that Mr. Ahmed married Ms. Khan without obtaining prior approval from the CRPF, as required under Rule 21(3) of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964. It said that though he had submitted a request for permission, the CRPF’s J&K Zone recommended against granting a ‘NOC’ due to national security concerns and that the marriage proceeded before a formal decision was made, constituting a breach of protocol.

Mr. Ahmed said that he will move the court in the next few days to challenge his dismissal. “I initially came to know about my dismissal through media reports. When I received a formal letter from the CRPF, informing me about the dismissal, I was shocked. It is awful for the entire family. But I’m hopeful of getting justice from the court of law,” he said.