SRINAGAR: A probe has been ordered after a Pakistani national, who was deported to his country after the Pahalgam terror attack, claimed that he got an Aadhaar and a voter ID card during his stay in Uri of Baramulla district for 18 years and that he voted in Jammu and Kashmir elections.
A video of Pakistani national Osama Imtiyaz during his deportation went viral. Baramulla Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa, also the district election officer (DEO), said the Uri electoral officer has taken note of the viral video and registered an FIR over voter enrolment by a non-citizen in violation of the Representation of People Act, 1950 and Citizenship Act, 1955. “Further probe is underway under BNS & RP Act provisions,” Sherpa said.
“I am pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and my exams were scheduled to be held in June. I had plans that after completion of the exam, I will prepare for job interviews,” Imtiyaz said in the viral video before his deportation from J&K on April 27. “We came here (J&K) in 2008 and had been living here for 17 years. We got every document here. We have voted here. We have got Aadhar card, election card, ration card and domicile certificate,” he said in the video.
DEO Sherpa said the probe would find out how Imtiyaz had enrolled himself in the electoral roll of the Uri assembly seat without being an Indian citizen.
An official said they are also ascertaining whether other Pakistani nationals staying in J&K had also obtained Aadhaar, election or ration cards.
‘Hope tensions will be resolved without going to war’
Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said he hopes that India and Pakistan would resolve all issues without going to war. He further said that the deportation of Pakistani nationals living in Jammu and Kasmir is “leading to the division of families”.