108 youths from PoK can return

Over 3,000 Kashmiri youths went to PoK to receive arms training.

With intelligence and security agencies having okayed the return of 108 Jammu and Kashmir militants,who are currently either in Pakistan or in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK),the Centre too is likely to clear their cases by next month.

Over 3,000 Kashmiri youths went to PoK to receive arms training. Their return is being made possible under the governments Rehabilitation Policy announced last year. It covers all people and their dependents who crossed over to PoK between 1989 and 2009 to take up the gun.

The J&K government received applications from the kin of around 700 such militants,who want to return. The government had decided the names of those who had been not been active militants would be cleared. Many are doing petty jobs,mainly as helpers in shops and factories,or as domestic help.

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Sources said the applications of 28 militants had already been cleared by a committee comprising represen- tatives of the state government,Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Army.

Eighty more names will be cleared by the end of this month. Hopefully,all these 108 militants will return home next month, an official said.

Sources said the identity of the rehabilitated militants would be kept a secret.

Sources said the MHA would send a list of all cleared names to the Pakistan High Commission in India to ensure safe passage for them.

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rehabilitation policy

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