Sacked CRPF jawan rubbishes charge of 'concealing marriage to Pak woman', terms it 'misleading '

Srinagar: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable, Munir Ahmed, who was dismissed from service for allegedly concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national, on Sunday rejected the charges, calling them misleading and motivated by malafide intent.

Ahmed, who was serving with the 41st Battalion, had sought permission in 2023 to marry Minal Khan, a resident of Sialkot, Pakistan.

However, before receiving a formal response from his department, he married Khan on May 24, 2024. The marriage was reportedly solemnized virtually, with clerics in both India and Pakistan officiating the ceremony.

On Saturday, the CRPF issued a statement confirming Ahmed’s dismissal, stating: “In a matter of serious concern, CT/GD Munir Ahmed of 41 Battalion has been dismissed from service with immediate effect for concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national and knowingly harbouring her beyond the validity of her visa.”

In a detailed rebuttal, Ahmed claimed he had followed due process. “My matrimonial alliance was arranged in my early childhood by my mother and maternal uncle. In 2022, I informed CRPF officials of my intention to marry a Pakistani national and formally sought permission,” he said.

Ahmad said that he responded to queries raised by the CRPF in January 2023 and submitted all required documents by October 18, 2023, requesting clearance for the marriage scheduled on November 5, 2023.

A letter from the IGP, Jammu Sector, CRPF, dated November 17, 2023, was subsequently forwarded to the Special DG, J&K Zone, for processing his request.

According to Ahmed, a response from the CRPF Directorate in New Delhi dated April 30, 2024, cited the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, Rule 21(3), which mandates that a government servant must inform the government if they marry a non-Indian national. “I complied with this requirement and duly informed the department. The rule does not require a No Objection Certificate (NOC),” Ahmed pointed out.

He also clarified that his wife, Minal Khan, had applied for a Long-Term Visa (LTV) on March 4, 2025, which—after a mandatory 21-day waiting period—is considered deemed granted unless objected to. The local Foreigners Registration Office in Jammu, he added, has already forwarded her case to the Ministry of Home Affairs for approval.

Dismissing the accusation of compromising national security by harbouring a foreign national, Ahmed said, “Such allegations are baseless and far from the truth.”

The case came to light earlier this week when Minal Khan was sent back from Jammu for deportation to her country of origin after India revoked visas of Pakistani nationals in light of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

The case surfaced earlier this week after Minal Khan, the Pakistani wife of Ahmed, was sent from Jammu for deportation following India’s decision to revoke visas of Pakistani nationals in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. However, just as she was en route to the Attari border, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court granted her a last-minute stay on deportation on April 30. Her lawyer informed her of the court’s decision while she was already on her way out of Jammu.

Meanwhile, Ahmad has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and review the facts of the case in order to deliver justice.