INdia is a country with a population of about 80% Hindus, 15% Muslims and 5% other religions. It claims to be the world’s largest democracy and a secular state, but in practice, the reality is otherwise; Narendra Modi’s rule has be-come a nightmare for the minorities living there, especially the Muslims. Indian prisons can’t be called prisons be-cause they are no less than the American shameful Guantanamo Bay when it comes to treating prisoners. There is no hearing of Pakistani prisoners in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Lakarjam’s Imphala Jail, Hirangar Jail, Kot Balwal Jail, Kathua Jail and many other prisons. International human rights organizations, including the United Nations, have remained completely silent on these torture cells. The suicide attempt of a 60-year-old Pakistani citizen named Hamid Khan in the Alwar Jail of the Indian state of Rajasthan in the past few days has exposed the difficulties, both administratively and legally, faced by Pakistani citizens imprisoned in Indian prisons. The legal complications and the injustice of the Indian judiciary towards Pakistanis and especially Muslims have come forward. The 60-year-old Hamid Khan, a resi-dent of Pashin district of Baluchistan, committed suicide despite completing 10 years of imprisonment in the Alwar Central Jail of the Indian state of Rajasthan. His condition is said to be extremely critical.
According to the prisoner exchange list, at least 347 Pakistani citizens are currently imprisoned in Indian jails. 249 civilians and 98 fishermen are among them. Majority of them are persecuted in baseless cases. Similarly, 76 of them are detained in Indian jails despite completing their sentences and awaiting repatriation. The Indian government cre-ates various obstacles for their release. For instance, sometimes under the pretense of their identity, they are kept be-hind the bars. On other occasions, Pakistan’s diplomatic personnel are accused of not providing the required coopera-tion and sometimes the jail term is extended with some other justifications. As, there is a Pakistani prisoner in the prison, despite completing his sentence in 1998. There are many such stories which echo in the corridors of Indian prisons, most of which have not been revealed yet. As per an agreement in 2008, authorities from both sides share lists of prisoners twice a year on the 1st of January and July respectively. Generally, the common people often cross the long border between Pakistan and India while grazing their cattle or by mistake, but instead of releasing them, Indian soldiers illegally imprison them while declaring them as spies.
In Indian prisons, these Pakistani prisoners are subjected to so much cruelty that either the person dies or loses their mental balance. The worst example of which was Shaukat Ali, a young resident of the border area of Sialkot, who accidentally fell into the hands of the Indian army while crossing the border and lost his life during detention. The authorities torture them to such an extent that they either go mad or are forced to commit suicide, but it is a matter of fact that our higher authorities do not take any effective measure to release these prisoners. Similarly, they do not raise their voice about the brutal treatment that is made against these prisoners. In 2000, a judicial committee was formed between Pakistan and India. The purpose of that committee was to work several times a year on the matter of prison-ers, in order to ensure their fair treatment in the prisons. It worked for eight years; however, the traditional Indian attitude came to the fore, unilaterally refusing to attend the Judicial Committee meeting in a very rude and unethical manner. If the death of Sanaullah, imprisoned in Bhalwal Jail of Occupied Kashmir, had been raised on an interna-tional level, today the condition of the Pakistanis imprisoned in India would not have been like this. The attempted suicide of prisoner Hamid Khan is enough to expose the awful face of Modi. Therefore, it is important that the inter-national community and NGOs working for the rights of prisoners should take note of these painful incidents while standing with Hamid Khan for the sake of justice. For the sake of Human sympathy, the Indian terrorists are often released from Pakistani Jails, yet it has not brought any difference in the anti-Muslim attitude of the Indian authorities.
The majority of Pakistanis imprisoned in Indian jails are from the fishing community, who are imprisoned due to ig-norance from the rules related to the sea boundaries. However, the long-standing demand of the fishermen is the same which is in accordance with Article 73 of the United Nations; which states that fishermen cannot be arrested while fishing. But the irony is that due to strained relations between Pakistan and India, the traditional practice of deception of Hindus and lack of proper arrangements for the release of fishermen; many of the prisoners remain in jails even after completing their sentences. It should be noted that from Karachi to the border of India, there are 17 places where the Indus River meets the ocean. These places are called Creek. The last creeks among them are Kajar Creek and Sar Creek, which India claims as its parts. Sometimes when the fishermen are freed from Indian jails; however, their power launches are not returned to them. Indian authorities have ignored the humanitarian aspect along with legal requirements. There is a regulation regarding prisoners, that is often followed, but the case of India is otherwise.
Pakistan urges India to release Pakistani nationals who have completed their terms of imprisonment. Similarly, it vows to bring back their nationals imprisoned in Pakistan, whose nationality has been confirmed. But India’s response has always been negative when it comes to humanitarian terms and always denies the rules. People imprisoned in jails and their families are facing prolonged sufferings, and are eagerly waiting to meet them. Most of the Pakistanis detained in India went to India for the purpose of marriage. However, they were put in jail while accusing them for doing terrorism in Kashmir. The life of many of these prisoners is a human tragedy. The fault of many people in this regard is that they were victims of Indian cruelty because of being Pakistani citizens and had cross-border marriage relationships. Many husbands and wives who have been waiting for citizenship for almost a decade. Their love stories turn into tragic tales of separation, as the Indian bureaucracy’s process is slow and mostly against the oppressed. Some innocent Pakistanis in Indian jails face charges of espionage and terrorism-related offences. These charges, which are often compared to people in various jails, add to the complex India-Pakistan relations. This inhumane treatment by India is a clear reflection of the brutal policy of the fascist Modi’s regime.
India should adhere to its own laws and treat prisoners fairly. More importantly, the international community and hu-man rights organizations should urge India to immediately release innocent citizens of other countries. The Indian government and its intelligence agencies are majorly behind the torture and brutalities on Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails. Therefore, it is important that our government should raise the issue of violence and deaths of Pakistanis, im-prisoned in Indian jails in the Security Council and a formal resolution should be presented in this regard in order to declare India as a terrorist country. A much more pragmatic and proactive approach is the need of the hour on the Pakistani side in this regard. In view of the current situation and incidents, it is very important to stop Indian terrorism and expose the terrible face of India to the whole world. It is important because of the two reasons, firstly, to show the awful and brutal face of so-called largest democracy to the world. Secondly, the international community claims of globalization, global peace, human rights and liberal democratic order; thus, to remind them of their so-called com-mitments and promises with respect to the Indian’s inhuman and illegal policies on state level.
