Pakistan repatriates Assam’s Wahida, her son via Attari-Wagah border after 18 months in jail

Pakistan on Wednesday repatriated five Indian prisoners, including Wahida Begum from Assam and her 11-year-old son Faiz Khan, after they were detained for over a year in Quetta Jail for lacking valid passports and visas.

“Both mother and son have been handed over to the Indian authorities at the Wagah border. Three other Indian prisoners were also handed over to the authorities in India,” confirmed advocate Santosh Kumar Suman, who had filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court demanding Begum’s release.

Wahida Begum and Faiz Khan were detained in Quetta since November 2022. Their family in Nagaon, Assam, first learned of their detention via a phone call and later through a legal notice from a Pakistani court. The exact circumstances of their arrival in Quetta, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, remain unclear.

Efforts by advocate Suman, coupled with intervention from Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, expedited their release. Initially, Wahida’s family sought help from the Delhi High Court but was redirected to the Gauhati High Court due to jurisdictional issues. The Supreme Court of India then advised contacting the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs, leading to diplomatic negotiations between India and Pakistan.

Alongside Wahida and Faiz, three other Indian prisoners were also repatriated. Suraj Pal and Ramesh, detained in Lahore Jail, and Shabir Ahmed Dars, held in Malir Jail, Karachi, were handed over at the Wagah border.