"I was born to serve the Jammu and Kashmir Police and my nation, India," declared 45-year-old Iftkhar Ali on Saturday, just days after he and his eight siblings narrowly avoided deportation to Pakistan—a fate they escaped thanks to the timely intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.

Hailing from Salwah village in the Mendhar sub-division of Poonch district, near the Line of Control (LoC), Ali considers his police uniform not just a job, but a lifelong calling. For nearly three decades, he has served across various wings of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, earning multiple commendations for his dedication and bravery.

Expressing faith in the country’s leadership, Ali praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting confidence that India would never allow its loyal citizens to be handed over to "an enemy nation" on the basis of what he called a "baseless conspiracy."

Ali and his family were among over two dozen individuals, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were issued 'Leave India' notices last week in the districts of Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu. Authorities had transported them to Punjab on Tuesday and Wednesday for deportation.

However, the High Court intervened after Ali and his eight siblings—Mohd Shafiq (60), Nashroon Akhter (56), Akseer Akhter (54), Mohd Shakoor (52), Naseem Akhter (50), Zulfqar Ali (49), Koser Parveen (47), and Shazia Tabasum (42)—filed a petition asserting their Indian roots. The court stayed their deportation and admitted their plea, which stated they have been residents of Salwah for generations.

The deportation notices came in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. In response, the Centre suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, downgraded diplomatic relations with Pakistan, and directed all Pakistani nationals on short-term visas to leave India by April 27.

Speaking to PTI, Ali said, “We have lived in Salwah for generations. Our parents and ancestors are buried here. The deportation notice issued on April 26 came as a shock to our family of over 200 members, some of whom are serving in the Army.”

Currently posted in Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, Ali lives with his wife and three young children. Thankful for the judiciary’s intervention, he said, “We had no option but to knock on the doors of justice.”

In his order, Justice Rahul Bharti noted, “The petitioners are not asked or forced to leave the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.” He directed the Deputy Commissioner of Poonch to submit an affidavit detailing the petitioners' property holdings and scheduled the next hearing for May 20.

Ali alleged the deportation notice stemmed from a long-standing land dispute with his maternal uncle, claiming, “We own nearly five hectares of land, and another two hectares have been illegally occupied by my uncle. This notice is a direct result of that dispute.”

Officials acknowledged that Ali's parents, Faqur Din and Fatima Bi, had crossed into PoK during the 1965 war but returned to India with their nine children in 1983. Although the family was granted permanent residency by the J&K government between 1997 and 2000, their citizenship remains pending with the central government.

With visible emotion, Ali recalled, “I have served every wing of the police department over the past 27 years. The scars on my body, and the medals and citations, are proof of my loyalty. The most painful moment was being told I didn’t belong here.”

“I am Indian. I have no ties to Pakistan. I love this country deeply and I am ready to lay down my life for it,” he said.

Ali expressed gratitude to his legal team and sociopolitical activist Safeer Choudhary, who supported the family. “Being from Mendhar myself, I know the family’s history. I stood by them on humanitarian grounds,” Choudhary said.