Mum techie in Pak jail to return in Dec
A software engineer from Versova, lodged in a Pakistan jail for allegedly entering the country without valid documents almost six years ago, will be deported as soon as he completes his prison term in December, the Pakistan government has told a court. Subsequently, the Peshawar high court on Thursday rejected a petition of the Indian, Hamid Ansari, seeking remission of his three-year jail term.
Ansari had entered Pakistan on November 12, 2012, allegedly with a fake identity card sent to him by a friend from Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and stayed with him for two days. He was taken into custody by intelligence officials, allegedly from a hotel in Kohat city in the northwest two days later.
A secret military court convicted him of espionage and anti-state activities on December 15, 2015, charges that Ansari denied in his petition in the HC. Lodged at Mardan Central Prison in KP, Ansari challenged the use of the words ‘espionage’ and ‘anti-state activities’ on his jail warrants.
Hamid Ansari was arrested for entering Pakistan allegedly with a fake identity card in 2012, and later convicted for espionage and anti-state activities. The Pakistani government has now told the Peshawar high court that he would be deported as soon as he completes his prison term in December
Engineer’s kin wrote to Imran requesting early remission
Ansari challenged mention of words ‘espionage’ and ‘anti-state activities’ on his jail warrants. During the hearing in the case, Qazi Muhammad Anwar, the petitioner’s counsel, submitted that the prisoner was not convicted of any terrorist activity and thus entitled to remission. “My client committed a mistake by crossing the border into Pakistan without valid documents and that he had a fake identity card,” the lawyer said.
In his written reply to the court, Mardan prison superintendent stated ever since Ansari arrived at jail on August 8, 2017, he has been segregated from other prisoners due to the nature of crime.
On behalf of the interior ministry, a deputy attorney general recorded his statement, assuring the court that Ansari’sprison term would be completed on December 15, and thereafter, he would be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah.
A two-member bench of the Peshawar HC declined to grant any remission to Ansari, observing that he was “convicted by court martial” for espionage and anti-state activities and therefore, he was not entitled to remission in the prison term.
Hamid Ansari’s mother Fauzia is hopeful that her son will be released as soon as his prison term ends in December. She has also written to Pakistan’s prime minister in waiting Imran Khan requesting an early remission.
Fauzia met former MLA Krishna Hegde on Thursday. She said, “I requested him to urge former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, who will attend Imran Khan’s inauguration, to put in a word for Ansari. We had petitioned the Pakistani court to offset his earlier period in prison against the three-year sentence that was awarded to him in December 2015. But our plea was dismissed.” Despite many requests, the Pakistan government has not granted India consular access to Ansari nor have his parents received a visa to visit him in that country.
Activist Jatin Desai, who has also lobbied for Ansari's release, said, “It is important to note that the court rejected this petition following the Pakistan government's promise to deport Ansari after the completion of his prison term in December.”
A software engineer from Versova, lodged in a Pakistan jail for allegedly entering the country without valid documents almost six years ago, will be deported as soon as he completes his prison term in December, the Pakistan government has told a court. Subsequently, the Peshawar high court on Thursday rejected a petition of the Indian, Hamid Ansari, seeking remission of his three-year jail term.
Ansari had entered Pakistan on November 12, 2012, allegedly with a fake identity card sent to him by a friend from Karak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and stayed with him for two days. He was taken into custody by intelligence officials, allegedly from a hotel in Kohat city in the northwest two days later.
A secret military court convicted him of espionage and anti-state activities on December 15, 2015, charges that Ansari denied in his petition in the HC. Lodged at Mardan Central Prison in KP, Ansari challenged the use of the words ‘espionage’ and ‘anti-state activities’ on his jail warrants.
Hamid Ansari was arrested for entering Pakistan allegedly with a fake identity card in 2012, and later convicted for espionage and anti-state activities. The Pakistani government has now told the Peshawar high court that he would be deported as soon as he completes his prison term in December
Engineer’s kin wrote to Imran requesting early remission
Ansari challenged mention of words ‘espionage’ and ‘anti-state activities’ on his jail warrants. During the hearing in the case, Qazi Muhammad Anwar, the petitioner’s counsel, submitted that the prisoner was not convicted of any terrorist activity and thus entitled to remission. “My client committed a mistake by crossing the border into Pakistan without valid documents and that he had a fake identity card,” the lawyer said.
In his written reply to the court, Mardan prison superintendent stated ever since Ansari arrived at jail on August 8, 2017, he has been segregated from other prisoners due to the nature of crime.
On behalf of the interior ministry, a deputy attorney general recorded his statement, assuring the court that Ansari’sprison term would be completed on December 15, and thereafter, he would be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah.
A two-member bench of the Peshawar HC declined to grant any remission to Ansari, observing that he was “convicted by court martial” for espionage and anti-state activities and therefore, he was not entitled to remission in the prison term.
Hamid Ansari’s mother Fauzia is hopeful that her son will be released as soon as his prison term ends in December. She has also written to Pakistan’s prime minister in waiting Imran Khan requesting an early remission.
Fauzia met former MLA Krishna Hegde on Thursday. She said, “I requested him to urge former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, who will attend Imran Khan’s inauguration, to put in a word for Ansari. We had petitioned the Pakistani court to offset his earlier period in prison against the three-year sentence that was awarded to him in December 2015. But our plea was dismissed.” Despite many requests, the Pakistan government has not granted India consular access to Ansari nor have his parents received a visa to visit him in that country.
Activist Jatin Desai, who has also lobbied for Ansari's release, said, “It is important to note that the court rejected this petition following the Pakistan government's promise to deport Ansari after the completion of his prison term in December.”
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