PAKISTAN

 AMRITSAR: The human and civil rights organisation Ansar Burney Trust International on Friday succeeded in getting the release of a Pakistani child from Indian jail.

Indian lawyer DP Sharma appeared in the court of Principal Magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, Sardar Ajaib Singh, on Friday and argued for the release of Pakistani child who unintentionally entered India and was arrested under Foreigners Act on January 11 at Atari Railway Station.

On Thursday, Chairman Ansar Burney Trust and former Federal Minister for Human Rights, Ansar Burney, had filed a writ petition in the Indian Hariyana Punjab High Court in Chandigarh, challenging the arrest of the 13 years old Pakistani child and seeking his early release and deportation.

On behalf of the Ansar Burney Trust International, Indian Supreme Court’s senior lawyer, Ranjan Lakhanpal, on Thursday appeared in Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh and filed writ petition on humanitarian grounds in the greater interest of justice and human dignity, challenging the arrest of the boy.

The United Nations Expert Adviser on human rights, Ansar Burney, after having come to know about the arrest of 13 years old Pakistani child, Mohammad Ateeq son of Mohammad Iftikhar, resident of Farrukhabad, Shahdra, Lahore, arrested at Atari Railway Station in India, immediately contacted the Indian Home and Foreign Ministry at Delhi, as well as Indian High Commission at Islamabad for the early release of the boy, and during such time Burney also requested Indian lawyers, Ranjan Lakhanpal and DP Sharma to help the boy in Indian courts.

On Friday after hearing the case Principal Magistrate, Sardar Ajaib Singh, ordered the release and sending of the boy back to Pakistan on humanitarian grounds. Ansar Burney while appreciating the great gesture of the Indian court in the interest of humanity thanked Magistrate Ajaib Singh and said that such decisions will also be helpful in bringing love, Peace and ‘Aman ki Asha’ in between the two neighbouring countries.

Ansar Burney said that the boy will now be deported back to Pakistan within next two to three days. He said, Ateeq was a 7th class student in District Government Boys Middle School, Lahore, and last month on January 10, he ran away from his home and same night was sleeping in a Train compartment at the Railway Station of Lahore but in the morning when he opened his eyes he was in Indian Police custody at Atari Railway Station.

He said when Atiq was sleeping in a Train compartment, the said compartment without checking by the Pakistani responsible authorities connected it with Samjhota Express and the train left for India.

Ansar Burney strongly condemned the authorities at Lahore Railway Station who failed to check the very important train because of which the innocent boy unintentionally entered India and was arrested, and now he is in Indian Jail and his family in Pakistan is facing miseries.

He also thanked the Indian High Commission at Islamabad as well as Indian External Affairs and Home Ministry at Delhi and the Indian lawyers, Ranjan Lakhanpal and D P Sharma, who helped the boy in Indian Courts.