LAHORE, Aug 31: Pakistan and India swapped 55 prisoners at the Wagah crossing on Tuesday. Pakistani authorities handed over 36 men to Indian officials and got the custody of 19 people, including 10 members of a family comprising three women and six children.
"The prisoners being exchanged have completed their terms," Indian High Commission Assistant Counsellor P.N. Sinha told reporters. He said most of these prisoners had been detained on charges of illegal border crossing, overstaying, smuggling and spying.
The Pakistani security forces brought 29 Indians from Lahore prisons, two from Rawalpindi and five from Sindh jails to Wagah at about 10am. The exchange process scheduled to be held at 11:30am, was delayed for five hours. "We were ready even before the time. The delay was caused from the other side without giving any reason," Colonel Sher Zaman of the Pakistan Rangers said.
The Indians remained under surveillance of the Pakistan Rangers in a barrack until the Indian security forces gave a green signal of accepting them and handing over the Pakistanis.
The Indian forces with Colonel Pardeep Katyal of the Border Security Force in command showed up with the Pakistani prisoners at 4:10pm. He was received by Col Zaman. The Pakistani prisoners were then lined up and asked to cross into their homeland one by one. Moving scenes were witnessed as some of the Pakistanis kissed the ground and thanked God.
"Either my God or I know what sort of time we saw in jails," said Azra Bibi, a resident of Karachi, after she stepped into Pakistani territory together with her two daughters, a son-in-law and six grandchildren.
The family was arrested in India on the charge of overstaying. She said they had gone to Bangladesh four years ago and had a brief stay in India on return. "One of my grandsons was eight months old when we were jailed. Now he is five years old. This is the first time that he is seeing the world."
Mohammad Azeem, 52, a resident of Faisalabad, said he was taken into custody when he had mistakenly crossed the border. He claimed that he had spent 20 years in various Indian jails, although he was awarded a three-month sentence only.
"They (the Indians) had charged me with spying. It seems as if I have got a second life today," he said. Those returning to India included a man from held Kashmir identified as Ghulam Mustafa, 28, who spent five years in Pakistani prisons on spying charges.
"I was innocent. But they arrested me on spying charges and kept me in detention for five years. I have lost the most beautiful days of my life," he said, moments before stepping into India.
He and other Indian prisoners were lined up and handed over to the BSF officials one by one after checking and counter-checking of documents. Rajni Kant, a 30-year-old resident of Chennai, appealed to the leadership of both countries to take more steps for the repatriation of prisoners. "For God's sake do maximum for the prisoners. Hundreds of people like us are rotting in jails on both sides," he said.