LAHORE: A Pakistani national was repatriated from India on Tuesday, after spending 17 years in jail on alleged charges of espionage.

“Muhammad Shahid Iqbal Bhatti, a Pakistani citizen imprisoned in India, was repatriated to Pakistan via the Wagah-Attari border today,” Pakistan’s High Commission in India said in a post on X.

An official told Dawn that Bhatti, a resident of Kasur, was handed a 17-year sentence by an Indian court after being accused of spying for Pakistan.

Quoting Indian media reports, he said Bhatti was arrested in August 2008 by police in Indian Punjab. While in custody, he was interrogated for allegedly living in India without legal documents. The official said the then-chief manager of the State Bank of India had filed a complaint against him in November 2008.

“Subsequently, Bhatti was sentenced by a court and sent to jail on charges of spying. He spent nearly 17 years of his life in prison,” the official said.

He explained Pakistani and Indian authorities discussed his repatriation after he served out the term. “After completion of the legal formalities, he was escorted to the Wagah border, where he was handed over to Pakistani officials on Tuesday.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s High Commission in India expressed its resolve to “continue to work towards the release and repatriation of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails”.

Bhatti’s repatriation follows that of another three Pakistani prisoners, Ramzan, Idrees, and Asghar Ali, from India in late November 2025.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2026