Pakistani nationals, including fishermen who were imprisoned in Indian jails, have returned via the Attari-Wagah border after completing their sentences.
“In close coordination with Foreign Office as well as the Indian side, 12 Pakistan nationals, including 6 fishermen, who were under imprisonment in India, were repatriated today via Attari-Wagah border,” the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said in a statement on Thursday.
Among those reuniting with their families in Pakistan is a senior citizen of over 80 years of age, Muhammad Nazir s/o Fateh Din who entered the country in a wheelchair.
Muhammad Nazir, a resident of Lahore, was released from the Indian prison after eight years. He was arrested by Indian authorities in 2014.
The elderly man thanked Allah Almighty over his release saying that due to the efforts of the Pakistan High Commission he would be able to reunite with his family after a long time.
“The Pakistan High Commission will continue its efforts for early repatriation of all those Pakistani prisoners who have completed their sentences in India,” the statement added.
The civilians will be handed over to their families after the completion of legal formalities while fishermen will be sent to Karachi through Edhi Foundation.
Earlier in January, Pakistan released Indian fishermen and repatriated them to their homeland via the Wagah border crossing.
“The government of Pakistan has released 20 Indian prisoners [fishermen] who have been repatriated via Wagah Border to India on 24 January,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
It is pertinent to note that the fishermen were arrested for illegally entering Pakistani waters and fishing without permission. They were in Karachi’s Landhi Jail but were released by the government on a humanitarian basis.
