Pakistani POW in Indian jail since 1971: Ansar Burney

Associated Press of Pakistan (25 June 2008)

ISLAMABAD, Jun 25 (APP): The human and civil rights organization Ansar Burney Trust International has urged the Indian government to release a Pakistani national detained in an Indian Jail since 1971, along with other Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails even after completing their sentences or being declared innocent by Indian courts. The Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust and former Federal Minister for Human Rights, Ansar Burney, was contacted by the family of Muhammad Naseer, who has been behind bars in India since 1971.

On receipt of the information Burney contacted the Indian Authorities in New Delhi and requested for his (Muhammad Naseer) early release.

In his letters to the Indian Minister for Home Affairs Shri Shivraj V.  Patil, Secretary for External Affairs Shri Shiv Shanker Menon, and Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan Satyabrata Pal, Ansar Burney informed about the plight of Muhammad Naseer, who has been behind bars in Kolkata Jail since 1971 on baseless charges, as per claim of the family of Naseer.

The Trust had also earlier contacted the Indian High Commission in Islamabad regarding the case of Muhammad Naseer and had been informed that an investigation would be conducted by Indian authorities.

According to the family, Muhammad Naseer was 27 years old and living in Duniyajpur (East Pakistan) in 1971 with his family, when violence erupted in the region. His house and shop was burnt by extremist, while most of his family, including children, were murdered. However he and his wife Shahla managed to escape into the nearby forests.

Due to starvation, Muhammad Naseer left the cover of the forest to look for food when he was spotted and arrested by members of Mukhti Bhani. His wife, who witnessed his arrest, assumed he had been killed. She was moved to a camp that was established by the United Nations and later she shifted to Karachi.

However, in the year 2000, Muhammad Naseer managed to send a letter to his relatives in Ghazipur, India, informing them that he was still alive and in Kolkota Jail. He also informed them that upon his arrest by Mukhti Bhani, he had been handed over to the Indian Military as a prisoner of war (POW) on March 25, 1971.

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