Mumbai: After release from Pakistan, Hamid Ansari's neighbours set to welcome him
PTI | Dec 18, 2018, 20:00 IST
Hamid Nihal Ansari (centre)MUMBAI: In a Mumbai suburb, an entire neighbourhood was glued to the TV set Tuesday to catch a glimpse of Hamid Nihal Ansari, whom they last saw six years ago. Hamid is expected to return to the city on Wednesday.
As soon as the 33-year-old, released from a Pakistani jail to be repatriated to India, crossed the Wagah-Attari border and kissed the Indian soil, his neighbours in Versova celebrated by hugging each other and distributing sweets.
Ansari hugged his parents who were present at the border to receive him, six years after he was detained by Pakistani intelligence agencies for entering the country illegally, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.
Ansari was detained in 2012 after he entered the country from Afghanistan and subsequently sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card.
The Mumbai resident was lodged at the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready.
"It was an emotional scene as we saw Hamid cross the border at around 5.30pm and kneel down to kiss the Indian soil," said senior journalist and social activist Jatin Desai, who accompanied the Ansari family from Mumbai to Wagah.
Desai, who is general secretary of the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, sat in the visitors' enclosure with Hamid Ansari's father Nihal and mother Fouzia at the Wagah border after reaching there in the morning.
"We expect to return with Hamid to Mumbai tomorrow," he said.
Nihal Ansari, former bank officer, expressed happiness over his son's release and thanked the governments of India and Pakistan.
Sayyad Abid Hussain, a Bhopal resident who started a Twitter campaign in 2016 to bring Ansari back, also thanked the two governments and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"This is the victory of humanity and the struggle by Hamid's mother Fauzia, a former teacher," Hussain said.
He recalled that external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had retweeted Fauzia Ansari's tweet seeking the release of her son.
As soon as the 33-year-old, released from a Pakistani jail to be repatriated to India, crossed the Wagah-Attari border and kissed the Indian soil, his neighbours in Versova celebrated by hugging each other and distributing sweets.
Ansari hugged his parents who were present at the border to receive him, six years after he was detained by Pakistani intelligence agencies for entering the country illegally, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.
Ansari was detained in 2012 after he entered the country from Afghanistan and subsequently sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a military court in 2015 for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card.
The Mumbai resident was lodged at the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15, 2018 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready.
"It was an emotional scene as we saw Hamid cross the border at around 5.30pm and kneel down to kiss the Indian soil," said senior journalist and social activist Jatin Desai, who accompanied the Ansari family from Mumbai to Wagah.
Desai, who is general secretary of the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, sat in the visitors' enclosure with Hamid Ansari's father Nihal and mother Fouzia at the Wagah border after reaching there in the morning.
"We expect to return with Hamid to Mumbai tomorrow," he said.
Nihal Ansari, former bank officer, expressed happiness over his son's release and thanked the governments of India and Pakistan.
Sayyad Abid Hussain, a Bhopal resident who started a Twitter campaign in 2016 to bring Ansari back, also thanked the two governments and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"This is the victory of humanity and the struggle by Hamid's mother Fauzia, a former teacher," Hussain said.
He recalled that external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had retweeted Fauzia Ansari's tweet seeking the release of her son.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
more from times of india Cities
LATEST VIDEOS
City
Caught on cam: Dramatic rescue of a man stuck in elevator01:03- Ordeal ends: Mumbai man set to return after 6 years in Pak jail01:29
- 1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Sajjan Kumar writes to Rahul Gandhi, quits Congress01:10
- West Bengal BJP chief compares TMC to ‘eunuchs’ for celebrating Congress’ victory01:57
- On cam: Don't you know my power, Agra BJP MLA threatens woman SDM in full public view02:40
- 'Against Outrage': Priyanka Gandhi writing a book, to release a month before 2019 Lok Sabha elections01:46
- Shocking! Teacher beats up students for not saying 'As-Salaam-Alaikum'02:18
- Ghaziabad: In-laws morph woman’s photo, put it on Facebook01:08
- Jammu and Kashmir: Mata Vaishno Devi yatra crosses 82 lakh mark this year01:57
- Gurugram: Man slaps, molests 14-year-old girl in market01:00
All Comments ()+^ Back to Top
Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.
HIDE