The Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace & Democracy through a press note of 11 December 2018, has appealed to the Pakistani authorities and Prime Minister Imran Khan, to release Mohammad Hamid Ansari, on 16 December 2018, the day he completes his three-year jail term.
The note, issued by the PIPFPD India chapter a day after the world commemorated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, urges Pakistan to adhere to the release date of 16 December 2018, and for both countries to take immediate measures to ensure that he is reunited with his family at the earliest.
“We believe that Hamid Ansari’s immediate release will send a positive message as it will come in the background of the opening up of the Kartarpur Corridor. PIPFPD and many other campaigners for Hamid’s release have consistently maintained that while Hamid Ansari violated the Passport Act, etc., he is innocent of the kind of charges that were made against him.”
Ansari entered Pakistan illegally in November 2012 to meet a girl in Kohat with whom he had connected over social media. He disappeared soon afterwards, and was finally produced in court in January 2015.
“Hamid and his family have paid a heavy price for his rather naïve act,” says PIPFPD. “They should not be made to suffer more”.
Hamid’s family has been in turmoil since then. His mother retired as a professor. His father, a former banker and now practices as a lawyer, while his elder brother is a dental surgeon.
The Peshawar High Court on 7 August 2018 directed Pakistani authorities to repatriate Hamid immediately after completion of his sentence, if he is not required for any other case.
“We request authorities to hand over Hamid to Indian High Commission officials on the day of completion of his sentence. We request that he should be released and repatriated the same day or next day via Wagah border.
“We laud Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Imran Khan for his valuable gestures so far made towards making peace with India and in the region.
“We appeal to him to make sure that in Hamid’s case too, a humanitarian and relief approach is followed.”
The appeal is signed by Dr. Syeda Hameed and Tapan Bose, Co-Chairpersons, PIPFPD India, and Vijayan M. J. General Secretary, PIPFPD India.
Both India & Pakistan are holding prisoners from illiterate fishermen who due to imaginary maritime boundary often inadvertently cross over to each other’s sea lanes due to poor navigational aids, petty & hardened criminals, smugglers,animal grazers, mentally disabled people, individuals for cross border marriages, or torn family reunions etc. Over and above Pakistan is holding on to 54 Indian POWs languishing in Pakistani jails since 1971 War who should have been released as per Geneva Conventions. Since PM Imran Khan has been very generous in early release of Hamid Ansari from India entering illegally Pakistan for marriage with Pakistani girl he fell in love through Facebook. I request him to kindly release 54 Indian POWs whose list is appended below & thus end this long human tragedy-List of Missing Defence Personnel is given below. Let us unite them with their families at fag ends of their lives. Those who have died in Pakistani jails,their ashes may be handed over to the bereaved families after DNA testing to end miseries in their lives.
1. Major SPS Waraich IC-12712 —-15 Punjab ….Maj. SPS Warraich’s name was reportedly announced on 5/6th December, 1971 (he wrote a letter also to his father in 1975).
2. Major Kanwaljit Singh Sandhu IC-14590— 15 Punjab ….SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
3. Lt SM Sabharwal SS-23957 87 Lt Regiment
4. Capt Ravinder Kaura SS-20095 39 Med Regiment …name was announced on Lahore Radio on 7.12.1971
5. Sq Ldr MK Jain 5327-F(P)
6. Flt Lt Sudhir Kumar Goswami 8956-F(P) …..same day at 11.30 p.m. Radio Lahore announced his capture.
7. Flying Officer Sudhir Tyagi 10871-F(P) …… SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
8. Flt Lt Vijay Vasant Tambay 7662 -F(P) ……..SEEN IN PAKISTAN JAIL
9. Flt Lt Nagaswami Shanker 9773-F(P)
10. Sq Ldr PN Malhotra
11. Flt Lt SK Chibber
12. Capt GR Singh IC-23283 5 Assam ………SEEN IN PAKISTAN JAIL
13. Capt OP Dalal SS-22536 Grenadiers
14. Maj AK Ghosh IC-18790 15 Rajput ………SEEN IN PAKISTAN JAIL
15. Maj AK Suri SS-19807 5 Assam ……..SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
16. Capt KS Rathod IC23148 5Assam
17. Flt Lt Ram Metharam Advani 7812-F(P)
18. Flt Lt Manohar Purohit 10249(N) 5 Squadron
19. Flt Lt Tanmaya Singh Dandoss 8160-F(P)
20. Wg Cdr Harsharan Singh Gill 4657-F(P) ….SEEN IN PAKISTAN JAIL & Pakistan Radio gave news of his captured alive the same day.
21. Flt Lt Babul Guha 5105-F(P)
22. Flt Lt Suresh Chander Sandal 8659-F(P)
23. Major JS Malik IC-14457 8 Raj. Rifles
24. Major SC Guleri IC-20230 9 Jat
25. 2nd Lt VK Azad IC-58589 1/9 G R
26. 2nd Lt JalManeckshaw Mistry
27. Capt Kamal Bakshi IC-19294 5 Sikh ….SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
28. Flt Lt Harvinder Singh 9441-F(P) ….HIS ARREST WAS CONFIRMED BY PAKISTAN RADIO on 5.12.1971
29. Sqn Ldr Jatinder Das Kumar 4896-F(P)
30. Flt Lt LM Sassoon 7419-F(P)
31. Flt Lt Kushal Pal Singh Nanda 781N-F(N)
32. Flying Officer Krishan Lakhimal Malkani 10576-F(P)
33. Flt Lt Ashok Balwant Dhavale 9030-F(P)
34. Flt Lt L Shrikant Chanderkant Mahajan 10239-F(P)
35. 2nd Lt PR Sharma SS-22490 5/8 G R ….SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
36. Flt Lt Gurudev Singh Rai 9015-F(P)
37. Flt Lt RS Kadam 8404-F(P)
38. Flying Officer KP Murlidharan 10575-F(P)
39. Capt DS Jamwal 81 Field Regiment
40. Capt Washisht Nath Attock
41. Lt H Krishna Lal 13719585 1 JK Rifles
42. Naval Pilot Commanding Officer A Roy
43. Sqn Ldr Devaprasad Chatterjee
44. Subedar Assa Singh JC-41339 5 Sikh ……SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
45. Subedar Kalidas JC-59 8 JAK
46. L/Nk Jagdish Lal 9208735 Mahar Regiment …SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
47. Naik Hazoora Singh 682211303
48. Gunner Sujan Singh 1146819 14 FD Regiment
49. Sepoy Daler Singh 2461830 15 Punjab
50. Sepoy Pal Singh 1239603 181 Lt Regiment …SEEN IN PAKISTANI JAIL
51. Sepoy Jagir Singh 2459067 16 Punjab
52. Officer TS Sethi
53. Gunner Madan Mohan 1157419 94 Mountain Regiment
54. Gunner Gyan Chand.—
This list was tabled in the Lok Sabha in 1979 by Samarendra Kundu, Minister of State of External Affairs, in reply to a question raised by Amarsingh Pathawa.