Karachi: The mother of a Pakistani man
detained in India for the last 10 years has made an
impassioned appeal to governments of India and Pakistan to
send him home as he has been cleared of all charges.
A sobbing Salma Bibi, a resident of Karachi said her son,
Maqsood had gone to India with a friend for a holiday visit in
2000.
"He was arrested on espionage charges and jailed in
Nagpur but all charges were dropped against him in 2006 and he
was cleared for release and to be sent home but that has not
happened as yet," she said.
Maqsood who is presently detained at the Lampur detention
camp in New Delhi told `The Express` news channel on beeper
that there were 16 other Pakistanis with him in the camp who
were waiting to be sent home.
"The authorities here say we will be sent home when there
is an exchange of prisoners but right before our eyes some
Pakistanis who were detained for a week or two returned home
but we are still languishing here since 2006," Maqsood said.
He said he was living in difficult conditions and no one
from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi even bothered
to visit the camp to inquire about the welfare of Pakistani
detainees.
"I appeal to our President to intervene and get us home,
I know he can do it he has the powers to do so. It has been a
long ten years for me and now I just want to be home with my
parents," Maqsood said.
Maqsood`s mother, wiping away tears, said the Indian and
Pakistani governments should work immediately to release and
send home such prisoners who had no criminal charges against
them and had been released by Indian authorities.
"This red tapism should stop and innocent prisoners and
their families from both countries should not be made to
suffer for so long," Salma said.
Maqsood said he was released from jail in 2006 and ever
since has been living at the Lampur detention camp.
Pakistan and India keep on frequently exchanging
prisoners including poor fishermen as part of reconciliation
process.
There are no exact figures on the number of Pakistani and
Indian prisoners in jails or detention camps in both
countries.
PTI
