LAHORE: Pakistan Rangers handed over a 20-year-old ailing Indian national to the Border Security Force (BSF) on humanitarian grounds at the Wagah border on Thursday.

Jatindera had accidentally crossed over to Pakistan around five years ago and was arrested by the police in Mirpurkhas in Sindh. Later, a court of law sentenced him to imprisonment for a year on a charge of illegally entering Pakistani territory.

He was then taken to the Hyderabad central jail to complete his jail term, where officials of the Indian consulate and some members of the Legal Aid Society first met him in 2015. According to officials, the man had been unable to identify himself or recall anything about his home in India so the process of repatriation was put on hold. They had decided that Jatindera was suffering from a mental disorder, which is why he had been unable to reveal his identity.

Jatindera accidentally crossed over to Pakistan around five years ago

Later some members of the Legal Aid Society saw him again at the Malir district jail in Karachi and contacted the Indian consulate. They visited him twice to inquire about his identity but he was unable to recall his home in India. Around this time, he was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia — a condition which requires regular blood transfusions.

Later, Jatindera recognised his mother on television after some Indian news channels aired her pictures in their bulletins.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) National Goodwill Ambassador Shehzad Roy told Dawn that he had learned about Jatindera from a TV programme. “I was visiting the Malir district jail where I inquired about the man and met him... I found out that he was suffering from a disease,” he said.

Several Indian news channels had also aired photographs of the missing man. The man’s family had also initiated legal proceedings to get him released, even though he had already completed his jail term.

He said that Legal Aid Society chairman retired Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and he had again contacted the Indian consulate to speed up the process of repatriation. Mr Roy said the boy was shown pictures of his mother and recognised her, so they had started the process to repatriate him.

He said his team was also thankful to officials of Pakistan’s Foreign Office and the interior ministry for helping them get the boy released from jail as he was not feeling well there. When they obtained an approval from the interior ministry, they sent it to the jail authorities and got the boy released.

He said Jatindera was sent to Lahore from Karachi by plane and then handed over to Indian authorities.

A spokesperson for the Pakistan Rangers, Punjab, said earlier they had received information that the government would repatriate Jatindera on May 4, but he was sent home a day earlier than planned. He added that Rangers personnel picked him up from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore and handed him over to the BSF at around 1pm.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Office issued a statement saying that an ailing Indian prisoner was being released on humanitarian grounds. He was arrested in 2014 and India confirmed his citizenship last month, the FO said.

The statement added that 48 Pakistani citizens were being kept in prison in India, and Pakistan hoped that India would release them soon. Earlier, Pakistan had released 147 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture in January.

Jyoti Malhotra, a consulting editor for The Indian Express, tweeted a thank you to journalist Hamid Mir, Barrister Haya Zahid, retired Justice Nasir Aslam, former foreign minister Khawaja Asif and UNODC Goodwill Ambassador and singer Shehzad Roy for extending cooperation and ensuring Jatindera’s release.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...