Indian, Pakistani prisoners return home through Attari border

Amritsar, August 11

Three prisoners each from India and Pakistan were repatriated through the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post here today.

In the first instance, a family from the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) — Mohammad Bilal Khan, Sarah Rasool and Begam Irshad Rasool — were handed over to the Pakistan Rangers by the Border Security Force (BSF). The trio was brought to Attari by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police.

Mohammad Bilal Khan said that they were apprehended by the J&K police for staying beyond the visa limit at Banihal where they had gone to their relative’s place on September 3, 2018. They had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) by the ‘Karvan-e-Aman bus’ service.

“We had a 28-day valid visa for stay in India. During that period, the Pulwama attack had taken place following which a lockdown was imposed and we got stuck at Banihal. In the meantime, our visa validity expired on October 1, 2018. We were detained by the Banihal police for overstaying in Indian territory and imprisoned. We are happy to go back home with family after five years,” he said.

In another instance, an Indian family hailing from Uttar Pradesh — Naseeb Ahmad, Ameena and Kalim — was handed over to the BSF jawans by the Pakistan Rangers in the presence of immigration and customs officials besides a naib tehsildar representing the district administration. They had gone to Pakistan to meet their relatives on June 21, 2022. On their way back, they were intercepted by the Pakistan customs authorities at the Wagah check-post and booked for carrying three pistols in their luggage. They were imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat jail by a Lahore court and were returning home after being released.