Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir:
The Army has captured a senior militant commander, Liaqat Hussain, with his family at the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. Thirty five-year-old Liaqat, who once dreamed of an independent Kashmir, now wants to live a normal life with his family but is not sure what the fate of his children born in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) will be.
The militant was caught infiltrating arms along with his family including three children. He would have been eligible to surrender but the police say Hussain cannot benefit from the state's surrender policy since he was arrested. Also, he was returning with an AK-47, a pistol and ammunition that doesn't help his case.
Husain joined the Hizbul Mujahideen 10 years ago and was trained in PoK to fight for an independent Kashmir. He returned to fight in Poonch. In 2001, he got married to a woman from Poonch and tired of being on the run, went back to PoK.
According to intelligence reports, 2000 men from Jammu and Kashmir are in PoK for arms training but some want to return to lead a peaceful life.
Liaqat too admits this. Speaking to NDTV, he said, "There are a lot of people who want to return to normal life."
The fate of the couple's children aged eight, six and two hangs in balance as they were born in PoK and are not Indian citizens.
"Right now we can't say anything about the children. That will be decided according to the law of the land," said Jugal Manha, Additional SP, Poonch.
It is still not clear what prompted Liaqat to return with his family and whether he has actually cut all the links with militancy, but the way the case will now be handled will also serve an important message to militants across the LoC who want to return to lead a normal life.