The Indian government on Tuesday repatriated 14 Pakistani civilians, including 10 fishermen, as the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officials handed them over to the Pakistan Rangers at Wagah Border. These Pakistanis were arrested after crossed into India illegally and imprisoned at the jails in Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab.
On the directives of Dr Abdul Sattar Edhi, the Edhi Foundation served food, juices, biscuits and cold drinks to the prisoners at the border point. Meanwhile, the Rangers handed over the released fishermen to the Edhi Foundation which sent them to the Edhi Home Gulberg, Lahore. They would soon be shifted to their homes after ascertaining the native areas and addresses.
They include Muhammad Shahjahan (15), Hameed Hussain (15), Jamal Hussain (16), Noor-ul-Haq (30), Muhammad Noor (27), Muhammad Ishaq (15), Noor Muhammad (21), Muhammad Irfan (18), Muhammad Noor (16) and Abdul Aziz (10). The released Pakistanis urged the governments of both the countries to expedite the verification process to secure release of remaining prisoners at the earliest.
They said the respective governments should release at least those prisoners who had completed their sentences. The fishermen requested both the countries to install symbols to help identifying the border. They told media that they were sleeping in a boat when the water flow drifted them into India’s maritime zone after which they were arrested.
Thailand releases 11 Pakistanis
ISLAMABAD – A ceremony was held in Bangkok on Tuesday to formally affect the transfer of another 11 Pakistani prisoners back to the country. The Pakistanis, who were languishing in the Thailand’s jails, are released under the bilateral agreement on ‘Cooperation in the Transfer of Offenders and Enforcement of Penal Sentences.’
“These 11 people are part of the second batch of 22 prisoners being transferred to Pakistan. The first group of 11 prisoners had arrived in Pakistan on June 22,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. The first batch of eight prisoners had returned home in December 2010. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Thailand Sohail Mahmood and Thais Department of Corrections Deputy Director General Thanis Sriyaphan represented the respective governments at the ceremony.
“This transfer of offenders is the outcome of an inter-governmental process and represents close cooperation between Pakistan and Thailand in the consular field,” the statement said. After the bilateral agreement came into effect in December 2009, the two governments have made proactive efforts to ensure its fast-track implementation. In this context, the foreign and interior ministries and the embassy in Bangkok are working closely to advance the objective. Staff Report