JAMMU, DECEMBER 20: Six members of a family including women and children on Tuesday morning left their home in Mendhar area of Poonch district and drove towards Chakkan Da Bagh near Line of Control to cross over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
However, they were apprehended enroute near Chakkan Da Bagh by the police who brought them to Poonch police station, police said. They alleged to have taken the extreme step in frustration over the delay in resolution of some land dispute within the family, it added.
The police have taken cognizance of the matter and requested the Poonch district magistrate to initiate appropriate action in the case in view of the presence of women and children, a senior police officer said.
Those apprehended included 36-year-old Zafar Iqbal, his mother Karamat Bi, 60, his two sisters-in-law Zaheen Kousar (34) and and Zanib Kousar (30), besides two nephews, Naseeb Khan, 12, and Arbaz Khan, 10.
Pointing out that Zafar drove the family from Gohlad village in Mendhar in an ECHO vehicle belonging to his uncle, police said that he had left his aged father Khadam Hussain at home. About his sisters-in-law, police said that their husabnds were in Saudi Arabia.
Soon after their apprehension, Zafar Iqbal said that they had decided to cross over to PoK via Chakkan Da Bagh LoC as they were fed up with some local revenue officials for delaying the partition of their property despite court orders. In this connection, he said that Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Poonch, had in 2021 had ordered partition of the property between his and his uncles. However, as the opposite party was influential, the local officials were not affecting the partition, he added.