Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
India

After Release From Pakistan Jail, Hamid Ansari Crosses Over To India- WATCH

IANS, 18 Dec, 2018 08:12 PM

    Hamid Nehal Ansari, the man from Mumbai who was released from a Pakistani jail after six years for alleged espionage charges, crossed over to the Indian side at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab on Tuesday.

     

    A weary looking bespectacled Ansari in a jacket, muffler and a Pashtun cap, was welcomed by his parents, Nehal and Fauzia, who were waiting at the border along with a large contingent of India-Pakistan friendship activists and officials.

     

    Stepping on to the Indian side, the 33-year-old along with his family knelt down and touched the soil of his motherland with their foreheads.

     

    As Ansari stood up, he first hugged his mother and then embraced his father in an emotional reunion.

     
     

    The three were then whisked away by the authorities without allowing any interaction with the media.

     

    In Mumbai, Bharatiya Janata Party activist and former legislator Krishna Hegde, who helped the family in the past few years, expressed happiness following Ansari's return.

     

    "Very happy for Hamid, specially his parents who have worked very hard for his release and his family," Hegde said.

     

    He also thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and officials from both India and Pakistan.

     

    "A special mention should also be made for his lawyers, media and NGOs who have supported his parents for the past six years," Hegde said.

     

    Pakistan had alleged that Ansari, an engineer, was an "Indian spy" who illegally entered the country. Islamabad accused him of involvement in anti-state crimes, forging documents, and jailed him.

     

    For the family, it was an ordeal since November 2012 when he left the country for Kabul for employment and then was reported "missing".

     

     

    He reportedly became friendly with a Pakistan girl on social media and reached Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to save her from a forced marriage.

     

    On November 12, 2012, Ansari crossed over from Afghanistan border in Jalalabad to Peshawar in Pakistan where he was nabbed by Pakistan intelligence.

     

    Later, a military court sentenced him to three years in jail, a term that he completed on December 15.

     

    On Monday, the External Affairs Ministry said it has received a note from Pakistan that they would be releasing Ansari on Tuesday.

     

     

    "It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end," Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Australia Warns Indians Seeking Permanent Residency Against Marriage Scam

    Australia Warns Indians Seeking Permanent Residency Against Marriage Scam
    Four Australian citizens, too, are facing charges of convincing individuals to fraudulently marry non-citizens seeking to obtain permanent residency, the Australian High Commission said.

    Australia Warns Indians Seeking Permanent Residency Against Marriage Scam

    UP Principal Dies As School Boundary Wall Collapses On Her

    UP Principal Dies As School Boundary Wall Collapses On Her
    Sharda Singh, 55, the principal of government primary school Kasarwal in Sahjanwa block, was killed when the boundary wall near her collapsed.

    UP Principal Dies As School Boundary Wall Collapses On Her

    4 IIT Professors Accused Of Harassing Dalit Faculty Member, Case Filed

    4 IIT Professors Accused Of Harassing Dalit Faculty Member, Case Filed
    Case against the four senior professors and an unidentified person has been filed under sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act

    4 IIT Professors Accused Of Harassing Dalit Faculty Member, Case Filed

    Imran Khan Hits Back After Trump's 'Pak Doesn't Do A Damn Thing' Remark

    Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari's terse remarks came a day after President Trump defended his administration's decision to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan for not doing enough to fight terrorism

    Imran Khan Hits Back After Trump's 'Pak Doesn't Do A Damn Thing' Remark

    Pakistan's ISI Has Reactivated Khalistan File, Manish Tewari Warns Centre, Punjab

    Pakistan's ISI Has Reactivated Khalistan File, Manish Tewari Warns Centre, Punjab
    Manish Tewari has urged the Centre and Punjab to work closely for maintaining peace in the state, describing Sunday’s blasts in Amritsar as the Pakistan ISI’s attempt to reactivate the Khalistan file.

    Pakistan's ISI Has Reactivated Khalistan File, Manish Tewari Warns Centre, Punjab

    Amarinder Singh Blames Pakistan; Punjab, Centre Wake Up To 'Terror' Call

    Prima facie, this appears to be an act of terror by separatist forces, organized with the involvement of ISI-backed Khalistani or Kashmiri terrorist groups. 

    Amarinder Singh Blames Pakistan; Punjab, Centre Wake Up To 'Terror' Call