Denied passport because uncle was militant, says Kashmir girl

A 15-year-old girl at an orphanage in Jammu and Kashmir has claimed she was being denied a passport, which would allow her to study in the United States, as her uncle was a former militant, although state government officials have clarified that was not the case.

The state administration has assured that Sufaira Jan, who hails from Budgaum district, would receive her passport in due course but the girl claims that having a former militant for an uncle had been held against her.

"The government doesn't understand that my uncle was a militant in the past and has now surrendered and lives a normal life... What is my fault? I am not a militant," said Jan, who hails from Budgam district. She claimed that the CID had not cleared her passport application file as her uncle was an ex-militant, who had surrendered in 1995, three years before she was born.

But state officials have been quick to clarify that           at no level had the girl's application been held up or rejected. "I am sure she will get the passport within a few days. The process is on... we have not rejected (her application) at any level. There is nothing adverse against her in any of the reports compiled by the various departments," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters here.

Sufaira had applied for the passport after she received a one-year US scholarship under the India-US youth exchange study programme in March.

Inspector General of CID, B Srinivas, told PTI that Jan's application was received three months back. The verification on her application had been completed and the final letter would be sent to the Regional Passport Office in a couple of days, Srinivas said.

"(Jan) has got clearance both from police and CID and, as such, no one can deny her the passport," Srinivas said. Earlier, Omar had said in a tweet on micro-blogging site Twitter that Jan would not be denied the travel document.