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India expresses relief at decision to release Ansari, asks Pak to free other nationals too

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Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Dec 17 2018 | 10:30 PM IST

India on Monday expressed relief at Pakistan's decision to release Hamid Nihal Ansari after six years in jail and urged Islamabad to take action to free other Indian nationals, including fishermen, who have completed their sentences.

"We have received a note from Pakistan today that they are releasing Indian national Shri Hamid Nehal Ansari tomorrow. It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters.

Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. He was released from a Pakistani prison after a court-mandated jail-term came to an end. He entered Pakistan from Afghanistan reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

According to official sources, India issued a total of 96 notes verbales to Pakistan seeking consular access to Ansari and the decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi.

"We would like Pakistan to take action to also end misery of other Indian nationals and fishermen whose nationality has been confirmed and who have completed their sentences, but continue to languish in Pakistan jails," the Spokesperson said.

He said Indian also awaits Pakistan's response to the visit of Indian medical team to meet mentally unsound prisoners with a view to facilitate their nativity verification and subsequent repatriation.

"We hope that Pakistan would respond and organize an early visit of the Joint Judicial Committee so that the issues of prisoners can be dealt with in a humanitarian and timely manner," Kumar said.

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Though Ansari's jail term ended last week, he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready. On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the federal government a month deadline to complete his repatriation process.

The sources said 96 notes verbales were issued to Pakistan seeking consular access and clarity on the charges against him, on which India received no satisfactory response.

They said considering that his jail term was coming to an end on December 16, India upped the ante at multiple levels in the preceding weeks, seeking to ensure Ansari's release and quick repatriation to India.

Ansari went missing after he was taken into custody by Pakistani intelligence agencies and local police in Kohat in 2012 and finally in reply to a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother Fauzia Ansari, the high court was informed that he was in custody of the Pakistan Army and was being tried by a military court.

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First Published: Dec 17 2018 | 10:30 PM IST

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