Pakistan Press International (15 April 2008)


LAHORE, April 15 (PPI): Prominent Pakistani human rights activist and Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International, Mr. Ansar Burney on Tuesday returned to Pakistan after a 2-week long visit to India and stated that he had succeeded in negotiating the release of over 150 Pakistani prisoners lodged in various Indian jails.

Ansar Burney, who returned to Pakistan through the Wagah border earlier Tuesday, has brought back with him details with pictures of over 150 Pakistani prisoners lodged in various Indian prisons; who he stated the government of India has agreed to release and repatriate to Pakistan after confirmation of their Pakistani nationality.

Some of the Pakistani prisoners whose release was negotiated by Ansar Burney Trust had completed their sentences over a decade ago, but remained in Indian prisons over all this time. Over two dozen, including women, had become mentally disabled. At least three prisoners are deaf and dumb. One prisoner, who Ansar Burney hopes will return to Pakistan soon, had spent nearly 20 years in Indian jails but was only ever sentenced to 3 months by an Indian court.

Many of the 150 Pakistani prisoners bring with them tragic stories of their arrest, their imprisonment and abandonment by their relatives and country.

The list of these Pakistani prisoners and guarantees of their release were secured after high level meetings of Mr. Ansar Burney, the former Pakistani Federal Minister for Human Rights and Member of the United Nations Human Rights Councils Advisory Committee Geneva, with officials of the Indian Government including Union Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Shiv Shankar Menon, Former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, Chairman National Human Rights Commission Chief Justice S. Rajendra Babu, Chairman Punjab State Human Rights Commission Chief Justice R. S. Mongia, Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal, several Members of Indian Parliament and others; along with many community leaders and opinion makers in India.

During these meetings, Burney was provided with the list of over 150 Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian Prisons, along with many of their pictures, details of their offences and addresses in Pakistan; all of whom the Indian Government has agreed to release if the Ansar Burney Trust could confirm their Pakistani nationalities and have travel documents made for them from the Pakistani High Commission in India.

In this regard, the Ansar Burney Trust will soon launch a countrywide appeal to the relatives of these 150 Pakistanis to contact the organisation so that the formalities to confirm their nationality may be completed and their release secured.

Burney who was on a visit to India on the invitation of the Indian Government, spent significant time in Indian Punjab as a guest of the Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal.

Here, he negotiated the release of 49 Pakistani prisoners who the Chief Minister has promised to release immediately, if their Pakistani nationality could be confirmed and their travel documents made available from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

The other 100 plus Pakistani prisoners are lodged in various other Indian States including Rajistan and New Delhi. In the meantime, the Ansar Burney Trust has requested family members and friends of all those Pakistani nationals who are lodged in Indian prisons to contact the organisation at: Ansar Burney Trust. Arambagh Road. Karachi. Pakistan. Phone: (021) 2623382/83, Fax: (021) 2623384.

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