KOCHI: Abdul Qadir might be having dreams every night about his home, relatives and friends. Over the last year or so, this 60-year-old from Balochistan, who is languishing behind bars of Ernakulam District Prison at Kakkanad, Kochi, has been waiting for someone to tell him: “Baba, now you can go home.”
In the international arena, Pakistan has been claiming Balochistan as its integral part, but the neighbouring nation till date has not initiated any steps to free Qadir from the prison.
Qadir was among the 12 persons (11 Iranians and one Pakistani) who were arrested by the Indian Coast Guard from an Iranian vessel which trespassed into Indian waters last year. In March this year, he and 10 others were acquitted and charges against them were dropped. Within a week, Iranians left for their country after the Embassy of Iran issued Emergency Travel Documents.
“He is neither a convicted prisoner nor a pre-trial prisoner. He is forced to live in the jail due to delay from authorities in his home country in arranging documents to facilitate his travel. With the assistance of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Pakistan Embassy was informed about his situation but till now there is no communication,” said an official of the district jail.
The jail officials believe that India’s verbal support to Balochistan’s effort to attain freedom can be a reason behind the delayed action in Qadir’s case. His Pakistani citizenship was confirmed from an identity card issued by Gwadar Port, Pakistan.
At present, Qadir is the sole Pakistani living in a Kerala jail. He was taken to Tihar jail after the authorities informed the MHA about him in September.