National Desk, 30th May: Pakistan took a significant step on Wednesday by repatriating five Indian prisoners, among them Wahida Begum from Assam and her 11-year-old son Faiz Khan, who had been detained for over a year in Quetta Jail. Their detention stemmed from lacking valid passports and visas.
Advocate Santosh Kumar Suman, who had filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court seeking Begum’s release, confirmed the news. Both mother and son were handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border. Additionally, three other Indian prisoners were also repatriated.
Wahida Begum and Faiz Khan were detained in Quetta since November 2022. Their family in Nagaon, Assam, first learned of their detention via a phone call and later through a legal notice from a Pakistani court. The circumstances of their arrival in Quetta, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, remain unclear.
Efforts by advocate Suman, along with intervention from Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, played a crucial role in expediting their release. Initially seeking help from the Delhi High Court, Wahida’s family was redirected to the Gauhati High Court due to jurisdictional issues. Subsequently, the Supreme Court of India advised contacting the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs, initiating diplomatic negotiations between India and Pakistan.
In addition to Wahida and Faiz, three other Indian prisoners were repatriated: Suraj Pal and Ramesh from Lahore Jail, and Shabir Ahmed Dars from Malir Jail, Karachi. Their handover occurred at the Wagah border, marking a positive development in Indo-Pak relations.
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