To tie: There is nothing new in the relations between India and Pakistan. In such a situation, a news coming from Banda district of UP has shocked the entire area. When a hand-written letter sent from Pakistan’s Landhi Jail reached the villages of Banda, the battle of hope and helplessness became clearly visible with every line and tears welled up in the eyes of the family members.
Let us tell you that the matter pertains to Jaisaipur, Dhonsad and surrounding villages of Tindwari police station area of Banda district, from where the youth of the village used to go to Porbandar in Gujarat in search of livelihood and do fishing on contract. Then, while hunting fish in the sea, suddenly changed weather and strong winds changed the direction of their boats and unknowingly they reached Pakistan’s maritime border, where they were arrested by Pakistani soldiers. Since then Chandbabu, Jageshwar, Jitendra and Sarvesh are in jail in Pakistan for the last five years.
Letter came from Pakistan jail on 12th December
For your information, let us tell you that on December 12, this matter again came into limelight when these fishermen, who were jailed in Pakistan, sent their hand-written letters to their family members through mobile phones. The words written in the letter were not just paper, but were the screams of life captured for years. The fishermen wrote that they have completed the three-year sentence given by the Pakistani court, but due to no concrete advocacy from the Indian government, they are still not able to come out of jail. It has also been written in the letter that the prisoners of countries whose governments lobbied strongly for their citizens in Pakistan were released.
The youth in jail said this
He further wrote in the letter that many of the prisoners on whose behalf no voice was raised have died in the jail itself. The fishermen say that they are being subjected to continuous mental and physical torture in the jail, due to which their condition is worsening day by day. He has expressed fear that if he is not released soon, he may even die.
Family members appealed to DM
After receiving the letter, the victimized family members of the youth came to meet the District Magistrate and narrated their ordeal with tears in their eyes. He says that for the last five years, he has repeatedly appealed to the district administration, the Home Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, and met public representatives, but till date no concrete result has emerged. Now that the second letter from the children has been received, hope has also been mixed with fear and we are requesting the authorities and public representatives every day for the release of our sons, but our sons are not being released.
On this whole issue, Banda District Magistrate J Ribha says that he is aware of the fishermen of the district being jailed in Pakistan. Correspondence has been sent to the government in this regard and as soon as any instructions are received from the higher level, further action will be taken and the family members will be informed immediately.
