New Delhi: In a significant diplomatic development, Pakistan has decided to repatriate five Indian prisoners through Wagah Border on Wednesday, May 29, sources said.
Among the five prisoners is Wahida Begum hailing from Assam and her 11-year-old son Faiz Khan. Both mother and son, who are originally from Nagaon in Assam, were ledged in Quetta Jail of Pakistan on November 2022. However, it still remains unclear how they reached Quetta located near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border without any passports and visas.
According to sources, the initial notification of their detention came through a phone call to Wahida's family in Assam, followed by a legal notice from a Pakistani court stating their detention for lacking proper travel documents. The process to release was accelerated by Pakistan's Interior Ministry along with the efforts of advocate Santosh Kumar Suman.
Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Suman said, "Wahida was kidnapped from Assam in Nov 2022 and was found in Pakistan's jail followed by a legal notice from a Pakistani court saying that their detention is because of lack of proper travel documents. However, no police action was taken after Wahida's family filed a complaint in Nagaon district police station".
"Initially, Wahida's family approached me and accordingly, I filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court but jurisdictional issues redirected them to the Gauhati High Court. The unsolved question is that how come the woman was kidnapped from India and was found in Pakistan without the knowledge of the government. What the Indian government did to ensure national security?" questioned Suman.
He continued, "Eventually, the Supreme Court advised us to provide a copy of the writ petition to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs, following which, negotiations between India and Pakistan took place. A letter was thereafter sent by Pakistan's Interior Ministry confirming that Islamabad has decided to repatriate Wahida along with other Indian prisoners on May 29, through Wagah Border."
"Government of Pakistan has decided to release/repatriate the five Indian prisoners on 29.05.2024 through Wagah Broder, Lahore. It is requested that necessary arrangements for repatriation and transportation with foolproof security of the prisoners from respective jails to Wahga Border, Lahore may please be made for their repatriation to India", the letter read.
Apart from Wahida and her son Faiz Khan, three other Indian prisoners will also be handed over to India at the Wagah border. The prisoners include Suraj Pal and Ramesh, who were detained in Lahore Jail, and Shabir Ahmed Dar, who was lodged at Malir Jail in Karachi.
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