14 Pakistani prisoners freed at Wagah border

14 Pakistani prisoners were freed by the Indian government on completion of their imprisonment. Six of them were released from Central Jail Amritsar here, while eight jail inmates were freed from a Gujarat jail. They were repatriated to their native country through the Attari-Wagah land route here on Saturday.

Among those repatriated are two juveniles. They were arrested from the Gujarat coast in 2022 while fishing. Being juvenile, they were imprisoned for a shorter period, but it took around two years for the completion of formalities and their subsequent repatriation.

Speaking on their release, they said that they were happy to return to their country and urged the governments on both sides to consider the early release of fishermen who inadvertently enter into each other’s territories while fishing. They said those who had completed their jail term should also be released.

Gulam Mustafa, a juvenile from Sindh, said he was among the 10 persons arrested by the Indian Coast Guard, but he was the only one getting released. He said he was 13 years of age when he was caught in 2022. His other companions are still languishing in Kuchh Jail in Gujarat.

Another prisoner, Abdula Sharmili, said he was arrested in 2018 while fishing on the Karachi side. He was among nine fishermen caught by the Gujarat Coast Guard. He said many of the fishermen languishing in Indian jails had completed their imprisonment but had not been released. He requested the Indian government to consider their cases on priority and release them without any delay. He said they had inadvertently crossed into the Indian side as there were no border lines in the water. Protocol officer Arun Mahal said that apart from five prisoners who were repatriated to Pakistan today, all of them were fishermen.

Among those released from the Central Jail Amritsar are four cross-border smugglers who were arrested by the BSF on the Ferozepur side in possession of 2 kg heroin and two pistols. They faced 15 years of imprisonment and after finishing their jail term, they are now returning home. Two Pakistani prisoners had inadvertently crossed into the Indian Territory from the Khalra side four years ago.