Dausa (Rajasthan): Prahlad Singh, a native of Bandikui from Rajasthan's Dausa district, has been lodged at a prison in Pakistan prison for 17 years. Despite having completed his sentence, he hasn't been released as his identity could not be ascertained. His wife Gomti Devi says that Singh had left for Delhi in search of work but never returned. It was only in 2016 did she learn that a person resembling Singh had been languishing in a Pakistan jail. When the Union Home Ministry had contacted his relatives for verification, his identity could not be ascertained. Earlier this year, when the central government contacted Singh's family members with an old pic, they could finally recognize him. However, Singh having been lodged in prison for such a long time has lost his mental semblance and is not even able to ascertain his nationality and hence remains in incarceration. Now, his wife Gomti has requested the Indian government and the Ministry of External Affairs to get Prahlad released from Pakistan.
It was in 2015 that the Pakistan government had notified the Indian government about 17 Indians, including Singh, lodged in their prisons. Though the prisoners completed their jail terms, they could not be freed as they were not in a sound mental condition to identify their nationality. Singh's son Shakti says the information about his father's verification has been given to the Home Ministry, the chief minister's house, the governor and the district collector. Piyush Samaria, the incumbent collector of Dausa, said a letter has been issued to the State Department and the family members have been assured by the administration of complete assistance in this matter.
Read: Pakistan hands over list of Indian prisoners
India and Pakistan share a list of prisoners lodged in each other's jails, twice a year -- on January 1 and July 1 -- and the practice has been on for a long time despite tensions between both nations. The relations between India and Pakistan worsened following the attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, 2019. Around 40 jawans were martyred in the attack that was carried out by Pakistan based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
