Srinagar: Driven by love that blossomed on social media, a 22-year-old youth from across the border, Zeeshan Mir, crossed the heavily fortified Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Uri sector, only to be apprehended by Army troops, officials said here on Sunday.
According to officials privy to the ongoing investigation, Mir was deeply troubled by his family in Muzaffarabad, who were constantly pressuring him to earn a living and shoulder the financial burdens of the household.
They said prima facie Mir looks “innocent and deeply distressed” who fell into severe depression due to the persistent domestic discord.
They said that it was during this period of emotional vulnerability that Mir connected with Irum Bano, a resident of Tulwari village, over Snapchat and the digital connection quickly deepened into an emotional bond, accelerated by the discovery that Mir’s ancestors originally hailed from the exact same border village where the girl resides.
Finding solace in their shared roots, Mir confided his domestic miseries to Bano who sought a permanent escape for him and suggested that he stop enduring the suffering in PoK and cross over to the Indian side.
The officials said the duo discussed a plan under which Mir was supposed to cross the LoC and surrender directly to the Army and serve a legal sentence that was mandated for illegal entry into the country and later upon his release, Mir would legally claim his family’s ancestral property in the village and settle down permanently in Jammu and Kashmir.
Motivated by the prospect of a new life, Mir undertook the dangerous journey on Saturday night only to be apprehended by the Army troops.
Following his apprehension and subsequent questioning, the girl was summoned to check the authenticity of Mir’s version. She made appeals to the Army and local authorities, pleading for leniency and requesting that Mir be allowed to stay on this side of the fence rather than being deported.
The officials said the security agencies, however, are verifying this narrative to rule out any external manipulation or covert angles before deciding on the legal course of action.
The Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps also put Mir’s apprehension on X, stating that the troops exercised maximum restraint during the operation. “A POJK intruder has been apprehended, who was intercepted by alert Chinar Warriors while crossing the Line of Control in Uri Sector.
The troops “maintained restraint while challenging the intruder and surgically apprehended the individual. Intruder handed over to JKP (Jammu and Kashmir Police) for further legal proceedings,” the Army said.
Cross-LoC familial ties are not uncommon in Jammu and Kashmir and a large number of families living in the frontier districts have close relatives residing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and marriages between families divided by the Line of Control have historically been a regular feature in these border pockets.
