Wagah, May 18
Many Indians in Pakistan’s jails have lost mental balance and the Indian embassy has failed to take up their cases for release. Most of such prisoners have completed their sentences.

This was disclosed by the 20 Indians, including six Sikhs and 14 crew members of the ill-fated cargo boat, ‘Raj Lakshmi’ which reached here after spending serving sentence in Quetta jail in south western Balochistan province and Mach jail (Balochistan). The Indian prisoners who were already released from Pakistani jails on May 17 could not reach here yesterday as their train was late.

Describing the plight of the Indian prisoners still in Pakistani jails they said that at least 20 Punjabi youths in Kot Lakhpat jail had already lost mental balance as nobody came to their help.

Scene at Wagah joint check-post was emotional as the relatives and employees of coastal marine guards welcomed them when they crossed into India via land route. They were carrying boxes of sweets given to them by their Pakistani brethren as a gesture of goodwill. Various television channels were giving live coverage of the ‘home coming’ no senior official from the district administration was there to welcome them on behalf of the state government.

Those released from Pakistan included Surinder Singh, a resident of Yamunanagar, Surjit Lal (Nawanshahr), Gurmeet Singh (Fatehgarh Sahib), Karm Singh (Moga), Amarjit Singh (Hoshiarpur), and Gurnam Singh (Nawanshahr). They had landed in Pakistani jails while trying to cross over to western countries for green pastures. The names of the boatmen released from Pakistan included Abdul Hamid, Farid, Ishah, Siddiq, Mohammad, Awais, Hashim, Salin Mohammad, Jetha Lal, Kiran Vijay, Hira Lal, Mohammad Sattar, Osman and Ahmad Alam. All of them belong to Por Bandar district. Pakistan had arrested the fishermen for violating immigration rules and Pakistani territorial waters. The fishermen were released from the port city of Karachi along with fishing boat.

The relatives of the Punjabi youths, mostly marginal farmers had spent huge money by mortgaging lands for sending their wards abroad, Mohinder Kaur, mother of Surinder Singh was in tears on reunion. She said that she would suggest that Indians should not send their wards abroad for green pastures. She said the entire family underwent nightmarish experience on learning that he (Surinder Singh) was in Pakistan’s jail.

Surinder Singh told mediapersons that initially certain officials, may be from intelligence, wanted that they (the Indian prisoners) should work for them for handsome amount. However, all of them refused to oblige on the plea that they could do labour only. Surinder Singh claimed that he was put in the ‘Kal Kothri’ during his first week of imprisonment. He said the Pakistani police discriminated against Indians when they tried to enter its territory while others including Bangladeshis are allowed to go. The Punjabi youths also brought a letter from one of the prisoners who made a fervent appeal to Indian government to get him released as his sentence had already been over long ago.