Neyaz Elahi
Kupwara (NVI): A woman from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), married to a former militant, is contesting District Development Council (DDC) polls from Dragmulla block of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Sumiya Sadaf, originally a resident of Muzaffarabad in PoK, told NVI said that she arrived in Kashmir ten years ago, after marrying a local militant from Batargam in Kupwara village, who had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) for arms training.
“I am from Muzaffarabad, married to local from North Kashmir’s Kupwara. We both arrived here taking the Nepal route under militant rehabilitation policy,” she said.
However, Sadaf is not the first woman from PoK, who has jumped into the election fray. In 2018, two women from PoK, Arifa and Dilshada, married to former militants had won panchayat posts in North Kashmir’s Kupwara.
“People asked me to contest the upcoming DDC Elections. Since I am associated with Self Help Group and visit and help a lot of people in Dragmulla area, they persuaded me to fight these elections. I am hopeful of winning this election,” she said.
The election symbol of Sadaf is ‘Laptop’. There are 12 candidates in the fray while Sadaf is the only woman contesting from the said block.
I have no connection with politics. “The locals especially women virtually forced me to file nomination papers. They trust me and love me. I never feel I am from other part of Kashmir,” she said.
In response to a question, Sadaf said that it is difficult for the government to provide jobs to everyone. “If I win, I would persuade and motivate people to become self-employed. Everyone has the ability to be an entrepreneur and here we can focus on this subject and people, particularly women can start their own ventures,” she said.
She appreciated the government for the support it is offering under the ‘Umeed’ Scheme. Women Self Help Groups (Umeed) in Jammu and Kashmir have greatly contributed to the ‘emancipation’ of rural women. In J&K, there are approximately 4.20 lakh women members of around 42 thousand Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed under the Ministry of Rural Development’s Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission.
“I am also a part of the Self Help Group and whatever I have learnt and whatever contacts I have made; it is because of these Self Help Groups,” Sadaf said.
“The Kashmir in Pakistan is my birthplace and Indian Kashmir is the place of my husband. I love both parts and wish for peace and development on either side,” she said.
-ARK
