CRPF constable Munir Ahmed dismissed from service for ‘concealing marriage’ to Pakistani woman

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Saturday dismissed Constable Munir Ahmed from service for concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national, a statement from the security force said.

The CRPF said Ahmed “knowingly harboured her beyond the validity of her visa”.

“In a matter of serious concern, CT/GD Munir Ahmed of 41 Battalion of CRPF has been dismissed from service with immediate effect for concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national and knowingly harbouring her beyond the validity of her visa. His actions were found to be in violation of service conduct and detrimental to national security,” the CRPF's statement said.

Why was Constable Munir Ahmed sacked?

An Indian Express report said that Munir had submitted a request seeking permission to marry Pakistani national Menal Khan. However, before the department could process or grant approval, the marriage was reportedly solemnised via WhatsApp video call on May 24, 2024, the report said.

The matter involved a policy decision, and the Jammu & Kashmir zone had recommended that the request to marry a Pakistani national “may not be granted", a probe committee wrote in its enquiry report.

"It was concluded that the Constable Ahmed has violated the service conduct rules under 21(3) of the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964," the Indian Express report added.

What the probe panel report said

The IE report also quoted a senior official as saying, “As the instant case requires a policy decision being a case of marriage with Pakistani girl and matter of national security, the proposal was re-submitted to Headquarter, J&K Zone, vide this office letter with opinion that NOC may not be granted and a policy decision should be taken for dealing with such type of cases.”

The probe committee also found several lapses on the part of the constable. First, the probe panel report said that the constable failed to inform the department about his wife's continued stay in India beyond the validity of her visa. And second, he made potentially misleading statements in court proceedings, according to the Indian Express report.

“Wife of Munir Ahmed, namely Menal Khan, entered from Wagah Border in India through Pakistani Passport on a tourist visa which was valid up to 22/03/2025, but the individual has not informed the department that his wife is still residing in India after expiry of the visa. Further, he had stated that his wife had applied for a Long Term Visa but the fact was not informed by him to the department,” the report said, quoting an official privy to the case.

The central government had cancelled all issued visas to Pakistani nationals following the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam district, which killed 26 civilians on April 22.

The government had directed Pakistani nationals with short-term visa, as well as Islamabad's top military attaches in India, to leave the country. Other punitive measures included declaring the military diplomats as persona non grata, shutting the Attari-Wagah border, halting the Indus Waters Treaty, banning Pakistani ships from entering India, and banning all Pakistani imports.