12-year-old deaf-mute Pak boy repatriated

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, January 1

A deaf-mute Pakistani boy, who was kept in a juvenile home in the district after he strayed into Indian territory seven months ago, was on Monday handed over to Pak authorities.

The child, a 12-year-old boy who has been identified as Husnain, was escorted to the Attari border and handed over to Pakistani authorities, Faridkot Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Prashar said.

The Border Security Force arrested him on May 3, 2017, in Ferozepur after he accidentally crossed on to the Indian side. His impairment prevented him from being identified until December 8, when the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi confirmed that his father, Javed Iqbal, was a resident of Lahore.    

Ferozepur Juvenile Justice Board ordered his release on December 19 after he completed his sentence for straying into the Indian territory without appropriate documents.

The BSF found only a Pakistani 20-rupee note on his person when he was arrested last year, indicating that he was from across the border. — With agencies