Pakistan repatriates ailing Indian prisoner on humanitarian grounds

 

KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday repatriated an ailing 20-year-old Indian prisoner on humanitarian grounds. 

Jitendra Arjunwar, suffering from thalassemia, had crossed into Pakistan unintentionally five years earlier following an argument with his family. 

He was released from Karachi’s juvenile jail early morning and flown to Lahore, where he was handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border.

He was arrested in 2014 and India confirmed his citizenship last month, the Foreign Office had said in an earlier statement. 

Arjunwar's release was made possible through efforts of the civil society including human rights activist and singer Shehzad Roy. 

Senior journalist and Geo News anchorperson Hamid Mir thanked Roy and other individuals involved in the release of the Indian prisoner. 

"This young Indian boy Jitendra [who] crossed [the] border mistakenly [a] few years back completed his imprisonment he was suffering from a blood disease today he [has] gone back from Pakistan with a smile on his face thank you @ShehzadRoy and many others for helping him like good humans," wrote Mir. 

Responding to Mir's tweet, Roy wrote thanked the Pakistani government and the Indian High Commissioner. He also stated that the matter would not have come to his attention had Mir not discussed it on his show Capital Talk.  

"I would never have known about this Indian kid if you hadn’t explained and raised his issue on your show," he wrote. 

In January this year, Pakistan set free 147 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture. The fishermen were released from Karachi's Malir prison and sent to Lahore Cantt station, where they crossed into India through the Wagah border.