The haunted look in their eyes conveys a lot more than their words. For these 17 prisoners in Pakistan’s prisons, there is nowhere to go, as they languish in the jails well beyond the completion of their sentences.
The prisoners, believed to be Indians, cannot be sent back home as they are unable to recall their whereabouts. They have been declared to be “mentally unsound”. Hostilities between India and Pakistan, which resulted in the cancellation of NSA-level talks last month, has not helped solved their situation either.
Based on just their photographs and names, the Indian government has now sought more information on the prisoners to try locate their families.
“These prisoners have not been able to disclose any particulars about themselves including the names of their parents or relatives… due to their mentally unsound condition,” says a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Four of the 17 prisoners are women – Gullu Jan, Ajmeera, Naqaya and Hasina.
The others are Sonu Singh, Surinder Mahto, Prahalad Singh, Silrof Salim, Birju, Raju, Bipla, Rupi Pal, Panwasi Lal, Raju Mahouli, Shyam Sunder, Ramesh and Raju Rai.
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an international NGO, is also working towards spreading the word on these prisoners.
The situation is no different on the Indian side according to CHRI. At least 21 “mentally unsound” prisoners believed to be Pakistanis are stranded in Indian jails in Punjab and Rajasthan, according to the NGO.
There is a high likelihood of families abandoning these people. Sometimes they are also taken in under preventive detention after straying across the border. We are trying to seek direct access to the prisoners to learn more about them. That can help our teams narrow down the search areas.
— Mrinal Sharma, CHRI
If you have any information about the prisoners mentioned here you can contact the following:
The Under Secretary (Foreigners),
Ministry of Home Affairs, NDCC-II Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi - 110001
Fax – 011-23438058/23438033
Email – bvr.mrthy@nic.in / dirf-mha@nic.in
Or
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative,
New Delhi Office, 55A, 3rd Floor, Siddharth Chambers,
Kalu Sarai, New Delhi 110 016
Tel: +91-11-43180200, 43180225-299
Fax: +91-11-2686-4688, 43180217
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