LAHORE:
Authorities in Pakistan have released an Indian family who were arrested in Lahore last year for allegedly smuggling a gun in their luggage as a gesture of goodwill.
Saturday at the Wagah Border Crossing near the provincial capital of Punjab, Nafees Ahmed, his wife Amna Ahmed, and their son Kaleem Ahmed were handed over to Indian officials.
These visitors from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh traveled to Pakistan a year ago to spend time with family members who already lived there. However, Pakistani customs officers detained the family upon discovering a firearm in their baggage when they attempted to reenter India through Wagah.
They were tried in court and sentenced to time in the Kot Lakhpat prison in Lahore. However, on Friday, the family was granted bail and released from custody. The Indian nationals expressed gratitude to Pakistan for their freedom before going home.
On the other hand, India has freed five Kashmiris from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) who had been trapped in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In 2018, these Kashmiris took the Dosti Bus Service, which travels between Kashmir’s two regions, to get to the IIOJK. The service was suspended as a result of heightened tensions between Pakistan and India, leaving the individuals trapped in the IIOJK.
Countries began closing their borders in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, and the visas these individuals had been issued eventually expired. They were taken into custody by Indian police and lodged in Jammu’s major prison.
