Thursday, 19 August 2010
ATTARI(AMRITSAR): In a goodwill gesture, the Indian government today repatriated 28 Pakistani prisoners to Pakistan through the land transit route of Indo-Pak international Attari border here on Wednesday.
Among 28 prisoners released from different jails of India, eleven were from Amritsar central jail, 3 from Mumbai, two from Rajasthan, eight from Jammu and four from Delhi.
Pakistan national Mohammed Haji Iqbal who was arrested in 1999, served eight year in prison for aiding a bank robbery to fund the 1999 Kandahar hijack of an Indian Airlines flight, was also repatriated, Iqbal was convicted of looting a bank in Borivli and transferring the funds to the masterminds of the hijack. After their release from Nashik Jail in February 2008, Iqbal and Ehsaan were staying at Borivli police station.
According to official, the Mumbai High Court had ordered their deportation in 2008, but delays by the Pakistani High Commission in completing the formalities led to their prolonged stay at the police station.
Another Pak national Mukhtyar Ahmed who was languishing in the central jail of Amritsar was delighted since he was released after 21 years as he was arrested in December 1989 by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) near Indo-Pak border on the charges of espionage besides carrying opium.
After two-year long trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to seven-year imprisonment but due to poor initiative of Pakistan government with regard to confirming his antecedents his release was prolonged. Muktyar claims that his sentence got completed in 1997.
An interesting case was that of Sukhawat Ali, a resident of Daud Bhainian in Pakistan’s Lahore district. Sukhawat Ali was arrested by the Punjab police in 1997 along with 48 kg of heroin and 5 kg of opium in the biggest haul of heroin from a single person in Punjab at that time. He was sentenced to undergo imprisonment for 12 years along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
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