RAHIM YAR KHAN: A Pakistani citizen who had inadvertently entered Indian territory in 2006, was languishing in an Indian prison despite completion of the 14-year jail term handed down to him by the neighbouring country’s court.

Nazir Ahmed Khan (70), a resident of Chak No 103-1/L of Khanpur tehsil, told Dawn his 18-yera-old son Abbas Ali Khan had gone to Lahore in search of a job in 2005.

During a visit to border area, Ali mistakenly crossed over to Indian territory and was arrested by Indian border force, he added.

Mr Khan regretted that he was not informed about the arrest of his son in India, and he and his family, after failing to find the youth, thought Ali might had been kidnapped.

The family kept desperately searching for Ali, but of no avail.

Mr Khan said his son’s disappearance took its toll on his wife’s health who fell ill.

He said a few years back a Pakistani citizen, Munir Ahmed, a resident of Manthar, Sadiqabad tehsil, was released by the Indian authorities and he told him that Ali was arrested by Inderganj (India) police on March 27, 2006 for illegally entering the country after registration of FIR No 94/2006 against him under sections 419, 420, 467, 471 and 20 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 3(1) A,B,C,9, 14-F Act.

Khan was told that later Ali was sent to Central Gwalior Jail.

According to Munir, Ali was handed down 14-year jail term by an Indian court and that his sentence was going to complete on March 20, 2020.

On August 20, 2010, Ali was provided counselor access at the Central Jail of Jaipur.

Later, Ali’s name was also put on Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)/Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) lists on January 1, 2012 under serial number 206.

Khan said his son was a father of a child but due to his imprisonment in India, Ali’s wife went to her parents home.

He said that 10 days back, his son called him on his cell phone from Indian jail and told him that his jail term had completed in March but he was still in the jail.

After the call, Mr Khan wrote a letter to civil rights activist Mr Ansar Burney and responding to it some assistants of Mr Burney contacted and assured him that his son would be brought back.

However, he deplored, no concrete step had so far been taken to bring Ali back.

He has appealed to the Prime Minister Imran Khan to order the Foreign Office to take steps to reunite his son with him and his family.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2020