By IANS
Hoshiarpur (Punjab) : A family in Punjab whose main breadwinner has been languishing in Pakistani jails for 35 years after he was put on a death row on espionage charges is eagerly awaiting his return after reports that he was set to win freedom.
Kashmir Singh, who was arrested by Pakistani security agencies in Rawalpindi in 1973 for alleged espionage activities, is likely to win freedom shortly with decks being cleared by the Pakistani government to grant him pardon following his mercy petition.
His family – comprising his ageing wife, son and daughter-in-law, daughter and grandchildren – in Nangal Choran village, 20 km from here and 160 from Chandigarh, is eagerly awaiting his return.
“We really want our father back. Though we have lost out on crucial years of his life, his return is equally important to us. We have suffered a lot in his absence,” Kashmir Singh’s handicapped son Shishpal told IANS.
They are not bothered even by the reports that Kashmir Singh was not in a good mental state after the trauma and suffering he was forced to undergo in Pakistani prisons.
“We have suffered enough. We are happy that he is returning. We want him to meet his children and grandchildren,” Singh’s wife Paramjit Kaur said.
The hopes for the family over Kashmir Singh’s return came alive when Pakistan’s caretaker minister of human rights Ansar Burney stated this week that he could be released shortly.
Burney, who visited Kashmir Singh in Lahore central jail, said he could be released soon from the “hell on Earth” conditions inside the jail.
Though the family is already talking of making preparations to welcome Kashmir Singh back, they are not sure whether he would return through the Wagah-Attari land border check post near Amritsar or would be flown to New Delhi.