Attari, December 30
Growing tension on the border following Mumbai strikes notwithstanding, India today repatriated 65 Pakistani nationals, including 28 women and four children, from the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost here.
These Pakistani nationals were released from various Indian jails, including New Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Amritsar.
Some women had hand-written placards, “Goodbye Central Jail/Welcome New Year 2009,” when they crossed the Radcliff Line.
Lauding the gesture of the Indian government, the Pakistani nationals said they would celebrate New Year in their homes in a big way.
Mohammad Asif (55), a resident of Lahore, who visited India to marry Parwin Jahan a decade ago on valid visa, was arrested in New Delhi on the charge of overstaying when he approached the authorities for extending visa. Happy to be repatriated to his country after release from the Indian jail, he is in agony due to separation from his Indian wife. He said the Mumbai heat would discourage cross-border marriages which were common between the two countries.
The prisoners, to be repatriated through the Attari-Wagah land border, include three women and a two-year-old child who spent eight months behind bars without committing any crime. A mother-daughter duo of Joban Bai and Roshan Bai, Aamna Sultan and her minor child Aruz Bisma, all from Karachi, and 11 others were kept in the
high-security Amritsar Central Jail for a few months. They were arrested at the Attari railway station on charges of forging travel documents.
Another Pakistani prisoner from Mumbai Jail, however, could not be repatriated due to his late arrival here.
While some Pakistani prisoners released today were victims of travel agents, most of them were imprisoned due to overstay. Many Pakistanis strayed into India without travel documents.
Amir Ali, released from Gujarat Jail, said both countries should coordinate to end terrorism for permanent thaw in the region. He said many innocent persons from both countries had to suffer due to escalation of tension on the border.
Another Pakistani, Mohammad Ali said the government of India had given them a New Year gift which could not be forgotten. He said the government of Pakistan should also reciprocate the gesture of India by releasing Indian prisoners from Pakistani jails.
