- Indian Supreme Court orders release of Asghar Ali.
- Pakistani citizen warmly welcomed by locals upon return.
- Indian authorities fabricated new charges to block Ali’s release.
RAHIM YAR KHAN: A Pakistani national has returned home after being freed from Indian custody, where he spent 25 years in prison after inadvertently crossing the Pakistan-India border while hunting, The News reported.
His release was ordered by the Indian Supreme Court.
He was warmly welcomed by local residents upon his arrival. According to details, Asghar Ali, a resident of Chak 170-P near Sadiqabad, mistakenly crossed into Indian territory in 2000 while hunting. He was immediately taken into custody by Indian security forces and later charged with terrorism and espionage.
An Indian court sentenced him to imprisonment until 2010. Despite completing his sentence, Ali alleged that just before his release, new charges were fabricated against him, accusing him of orchestrating an attack while still in jail.
Based on these allegations, another court sentenced him again, extending his imprisonment. After years of legal struggle, Ali filed an appeal in the Indian Supreme Court, which accepted his plea and ordered his release.
Following his freedom, he returned to his hometown of Chak 170-P in Sadiqabad after 25 years, where residents gave him a grand and emotional welcome.
Speaking to the media, Ali said he endured severe physical and mental torture in Indian jails, including repeated beatings. He maintained that false cases were registered against him and that he was imprisoned solely due to mistakenly crossing the border while hunting.
