LAHORE, Nov 14: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Friday welcomed the return of eight Pakistani boys who had been detained in Indian jails for the last several months.

In a statement issued on behalf of its chairperson, Tahir Mohammad Khan, and secretary-general Hina Jilani, the HRCP said that among the boys, all believed to be under 16, was Dinesh Kumar from Umerkot, Sindh.

He had tried to reach relatives in India in June after failing a school examination and fearing the anger of his parents but was arrested by security forces in the Amritsar area and sent to the Faridkot Jail. The HRCP had been trying to secure his return for several months, it said.

The HRCP said it must however be noted that despite recent releases, an unknown number of other Pakistani boys were still detained in Indian jails, including seven or eight in the Faridkot Jail.

The boys had been booked for entering India without proper documents. Most of them appeared to have accidentally strayed across the border. Their release and return to Pakistan was in many cases delayed because their families had not been located.

DONGA BONGA KILLING: In a separate statement, the HRCP said that the killing of four people in Donga Bonga near Bahawalnagar once again confirmed that the authorities had no respect for the lives of citizens and needed to learn the basics in handling public gatherings.

It said the killings followed a pattern seen throughout the previous year. People trying to draw attention to their concerns had repeatedly been met with batons, teargas or bullets rather than any effort to address the issues they were trying to highlight. “The action in Donga Bonga is no exception to this rule,” it said.

“An impartial inquiry must also be held into the killings, so that those responsible can be penalized under the law and a message sent out to warn others against taking similar measures to curb people’s right to assembly.”