NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday sought the repatriation of two Indian nationals arrested by Pakistan and said they should not be used for Pakistan’s propaganda. “The sudden arrest of two Indians, Prashant Vaindam and Dhari Lal, as reported by Pakistani media, came as a surprise as India had informed Pakistan that they may have crossed over inadvertently,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
He said India had contacted the Pakistan government and asked them to provide consular access, ensure safety and security, and early repatriation of the duo. Kumar said the case of Dhari Lal, a Madhya Pradesh native, was taken up in December 2018 while the case of Prashant Vaindam from Andhra Pradesh was taken up in May 2019 with the Pakistani authorities.
Earlier this week, a video of Prashant had surfaced where he was seen addressing his parents in Telugu and telling them that his case would come up in Pakistani court. Prashant’s father said the software employee was in depression and had been missing. “I’ve no idea how he got in touch with Dhari Lal and how he landed up in Rajasthan,” he said.