M A I N   N E W S

3 Sikh youths detained by Pak
Varinder Walia and Rashmi Talwar

Wagah, April 20
The attempt of three Indian Sikh youths to sneak into India along with pilgrims returning from Pakistan after facing harrowing times in jails of various countries today proved futile much to the dismay of their relatives awaiting re-union at the Wagah check-post.

These youths, duped by travel agents, were detained by the Pakistan authorities at the Wagah check-post here today. The three — Avtar Singh, Joginder Singh and Balbir Singh — could not make it back to their native country as they did not possess proper travel documents.

Mr Harpal Singh Bhuller, president of the International Bhai Mardana Yadgari Society, who arrived here, said he had rescued the youths from Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore, where they had taken refuge under changed names.

He said though Mr Sham Singh, co-chairman of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara, Parbhandak Committee (PSGPC), Mr Khalid Maqbool, Governor, Punjab, and Mr Rana Riaz, Special Secretary, Pakistan, made efforts in this direction, yet due to objections from some other quarters, they could not make it. He said he was not sure when the youths would be given permission to return to India.

Mr Bhuller regretted that he could not smoothen the passage for these youths who had faced untold hardships, including jail terms, and had even lost their money in the bargain after being tricked by agents who promised them migration of Europe after taking them to Lebanon. From there they were taken to Turkey. They were pushed into Iran and later forced into Pakistan. He said he was, however, assured that 24 Sikh youths languishing in Pakistan jails, including the district jail, Kota, and Kot Laiqat Ali Jail, would be released before mid-May. He said 19 of these were from Punjab and five from Haryana. To a query he said hundreds of Sikh youths were still in Pakistan jails.

Meanwhile, parents of these youths were heartbroken after being informed of their detention. Surinder Kaur, widowed mother of Joginder Singh, wept for her son who had been reported missing for more than five years. She said they had given Rs 1.5 lakh to an agent for a better future for her son. Tears flowed down the cheeks of Sucha Singh, father of Avtar Singh, who was accompanied by numbardar Gurdeep Singh of Nadala village in Hoshiarpur and Avtar’s little sister Narinder. Avtar was missing for one and a half years. Gurbachan Singh, father of Balbir Singh, sat shocked.

Mr Bhuller had managed to sneak in some Sikh youths from Pakistan in the Samjhauta Express. Though these youths did not possess any travel documents, yet the Indian Government had taken a sympathetic view and allowed them to go to their respective homes on the basis of intelligence reports.