PESHAWAR: A 22-year-old Pakistani national, who crossed over the border to meet Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, returned home after spending 22 months in Indian jail.
Abdullah, a resident of Mingora of scenic Swat district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was arrested by the Indian authorities on May 25, 2017, when he had come to witness the Beating Retreat Ceremony held every evening at the Wagah border gates.
He crossed the Zero Line after the ceremony and told the Border Security Force officials that he wanted to meet Shahrukh and Kajol.
He was repatriated on Wednesday through the Attari-Wagah border on the basis of an emergency travel certificate issued by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, officials said.
Upon arrival at his native home, he was garlanded by his relatives, neighbours, friends and well-wishers.
Speaking to local media in Swat, Abdullah said he crossed the border in a bid to meet Shahrukh and Kajol of whom he is a great fan.
"I was arrested by the India's Border Security Force and shifted to a police station before being sent to Central Jail Amritsar," he said.
"I wrote a letter to Indian Government through jail authorities for arranging a meeting with Shahrukh and Kajol but no reply was made to his request," he added.
Stating that his wish of meeting the duo Bollywood stars could not be fulfilled, Abdullah said that earlier he had applied for Indian visa to meet the two Bollywood stars, but the application was turned down.
Abdullah appealed to the Pakistani citizens not to enter India through illegal ways.
"I will not try again to enter India through illegal way," he said.