Srinagar, Jul : Underscoring that they ceased to be citizens of India, the High Court of J&K and Ladakh has upheld the deportation of a married Pakistani couple who had been residing in Srinagar since 1988 on extended visas.

A bench of Justice Sindhu Sharma dismissed a plea by Muhammad Khalil Qazi and Arifa Qazi, husband and wife, filed in 1990 wherein they had sought the court’s intervention to declare their deportation as “illegal and unconstitutional” and not to deport them from the territory of J&K.

The details of the case divulged that originally born in Srinagar, Khalil in 1945 and Arifa in 1962. Khalil moved to Pakistan during the 1948 conflict and eventually became a Pakistani citizen.

The wife held an Indian passport, but after marrying him in Rawalpindi in 1986, she too became a Pakistani citizen, according to the details.

In July 1988, the couple entered India along with their minor son using Pakistani passports and valid Indian visas.

The CID issued residential permits, and their visas were extended three times, with the last extension valid until November 1, 1988.

After their permits expired, they submitted a representation to the government requesting that their Indian citizenship be resumed or granted.

As their request was under consideration, the Home Department issued a deportation order on September 13, 1989.

It was this deportation order that the couple challenged before the High Court in their plea.

In response to the plea, the court in its decision has noted that by voluntarily acquiring Pakistani citizenship, the couple lost their Indian citizenship in keeping with Section 9(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

“Given Section 9(1), a citizen who voluntarily acquires citizenship of another country after commencement of the 1955 Act or between 26th January, 1950 and the date of commencement of the 1955 Act, upon such acquisition, such citizenship automatically ceases to be a citizen of India,” it said.

The court observed that Khalil Qazi ceased to be a citizen of India as he migrated to Pakistan and is a citizen of Pakistan, while Arifa Qazi has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of Pakistan after her marriage, and their son is a citizen of Pakistan by birth.

“Therefore, immediately upon acquiring the citizenship of Pakistan, they cease to be citizens of India,” the court said. “Thus, voluntary acquisition of citizenship of another country by an Indian citizen results in the termination of his Indian citizenship.”

The court said the petitioners have acted in their own volition and acquired the citizenship of a foreign country.

“Their passports and the residential permit issued in their favour are cogent, unequivocal evidence of the fact that the Petitioners are not citizens of India and, as such, orders to deport them were valid,” it said.

In response to the argument that a formal inquiry under Section 9(2) of the Citizenship Act should have been conducted to determine their citizenship status, the court said since the facts of the case were not in dispute, there was no need for such a formal procedure.

Dismissing their plea, the court observed that there was nothing on record to suggest that the request of the petitioners for the grant of citizenship of India had been accepted.

“They are staying in India on the strength of Pakistani passports, the period of which has expired, and after expiry of the extension of their stay, they had to return to their country,” it said.

Kupwara, Jul 1: Alleging that successive dispensations have taken the people on ride, the locals from Bumhama area of Kupwara district Tuesday demanded upgradation of Girls Middle School to High School.

Established in 1964, the school caters a huge chunk of population but due to unknown reasons this school has not been upgraded even after locals have pleaded for the want of same numerous times.

The residents of the village told Greater Kashmir that over a dozen primary schools are feeding to this school but no one is interested to upgrade this decades old school.

The residents said that their children after passing 8th class are forced to either enroll at Drugmulla or Kupwara which according to them was telling upon them. “The girl students face most of the brunt as they have to travel several kilometres either to reach Kupwara or Drugmulla. If the school had been upgraded, they could easily study in their native village,” stated a local.

“I fail to understand that why this school has not been upgraded even being among the oldest schools in the whole Kupwara district,” he added.

The locals have appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to kindly see the matter and get this school upgraded for the benefit of students.

Srinagar, July 01: A Ph.D. scholar from the Department of Mathematics from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar has been selected to participate in the 14th Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF), which will be held in Heidelberg, Germany, from September 13 to 22, 2025.

Samir Ahmad Wagay is pursuing his doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Rameez Raja, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics. His selection for this prestigious forum places him among just 200 young researchers worldwide, chosen through a highly competitive process.

The Heidelberg Laureate Forum is one of the most prestigious events in the fields of mathematics and computer science. It offers a unique opportunity for top young researchers and Ph.D. students to interact closely with laureates of the most distinguished international awards including the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal, IMU Abacus Medal, and the Nevanlinna Prize.

The entire trip, including international travel, accommodation, and participation costs, will be fully sponsored by the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation. This support ensures that participants can fully engage with the week-long program of lectures, workshops, and networking events without any financial burden.

In his message, Director of NIT Srinagar, Prof. Binod Kumar Kanaujia extended his heartfelt congratulations to Wagay and appreciated the efforts of the Department of Mathematics in mentoring and guiding young researchers towards international platforms.

Registrar Prof. Atikur Rehman also congratulated Mr. Wagay and said that his selection is a matter of pride for the institute and an inspiration for other research scholars pursuing academic excellence.

Dr. Rameez Raja, Mr. Wagay’s Ph.D. supervisor, expressed happiness over the selection and said that such opportunities provide young researchers with valuable exposure to global scientific developments and peer networks.

HLF is a networking conference where 200 carefully selected young researchers in mathematics and computer science spend a week interacting with the laureates of the disciplines: recipients of the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal, IMU Abacus Medal and Nevanlinna Prize. Established in 2013, the HLF is annually organized by the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF).

It was initiated by the German foundation Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS), which promotes natural sciences, mathematics and computer science. Inspired by the idea of providing bright young minds the opportunity to interact with their scientific role models, physicist and co-founder of SAP, Klaus Tschira (1940–2015) laid the groundwork for the Forum to exist.

On May 22, 2012, a formal agreement between the organizers and the award-granting institutions was signed in Oslo and the following year the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation was formally established.