After 35 Years, Pakistan Gives Back “Kashmir” To India

It was a touching moment for presumably all the Indian citizens when Kashmir Singh, an Indian prisoner detained in Pakistan’s jail for 35 years, finally had the opportunity to reunite with his wife and children.

It was way back in 1973 that a young, 32 years old Kashmir was arrested in Pakistan on charges of espionage, and was put on a death row in a jail in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Since then his wife Paramjit Kaur had been patiently waiting for the return of her husband, while singlehandedly upbringing their children with great hardships.

Today, after more than three decades her long, anxious and cherished wait has finally come to an end. It is a different matter that the 32 years old dashing husband whom she had last seen 35 years back is now a 67 years old man, who has probably past the prime time of his life. But that is least likely to mar the happiness of the Singh family, who now know how it feels to get back a beloved one after decades of waiting.

A note of thanks should be attributed to Mr. Ansar Burney, Pakistan’s Human Rights minister. It was he who had traced Kashmir Singh while making an official visit to Lahore's Central Jail, and got Mr. Singh a pardon order from the Pakistan President Mr. Pervez Musharraf.

We eagerly await similar developments in the cases of all the Indian citizens languishing in the Pakistani jails, and all Pakistani citizens languishing in Indian jails. India and Pakistan have had enough of hatred and malice. But now time is changing, with both the countries trying their best to strengthen the relationship. It is now time to give love and compassion a chance.

So can we except the Human Rights activists taking up the issue on both sides of the border, eventually resulting in a pro-active diplomatic initiative by both the governments in this regard?