Srinagar: A Pakistani woman contested as an independent candidate for District Development Council elections from Dragmulla Kupwara district of North Kashmir.
Somiya Sadaf, who is married to a Kashmiri man, was in the fray election from Kupwara seat which is reserved for women.
Sadaf came to Kashmir ten years ago with her Kashmiri husband Abdul Majeed Bhat and has three children.
In 2015, Sadaf was part of a government scheme 'Umeed' run for eradicating poverty which she successfully completed.
In 2018, Somiya Sadaf represented Jammu and Kashmir for the 'Progressive Women Entrepreneurship' and also interacted online with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sadaf's husband Abdul Majeed Bhat belongs to Batergam village of Kupwara. During the 1990's, Bhat had gone to Pakistan for arms training to join the militant ranks. But instead of arms training, Bhat decided to study and enrolled himself in a Lahore college. It was during his studies that Bhat met Sadaf. They eventually married in 2002 and came to Kashmir in 2010.
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Somiya Sadaf completed her post graduation from Maulana Azad University and said that it was love of the people around her that she decided to contest the DDC elections.
It was during Omar Abdullah's government in 2010 that a policy was introduced for the militants who had gone for arms training to return to their homes with their families from Pakistan.
However, the families have alleged that the promises made to them by the government have not been fulfilled and that is why many such Pakistani women who are married to Kahsmiri men often protest in Srinagar to highlight their demands.
