Don\'t fall in love on Facebook\, says Indian national Hamid Ansari who spent 6 years...

Don’t fall in love on Facebook, says Indian national Hamid Ansari who spent 6 years in Pakistani jail

It was on Facebook that Hamid Ansari fell in love with a girl from Pakistan, went there to prevent her ‘forced’ marriage and before he could meet her, was arrested and jailed.

india Updated: Dec 21, 2018 09:59 IST
Having spent almost six years in a Pakistani jail, software engineer Hamid Nihal Ansari’s advice to youth is simple: Don’t fall in love over Facebook.(PTI)

There were tears, celebrations and relief in the Ansari household in Versova, as their son, Hamid, returned home after serving a three-year sentence for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan, on Thursday morning.

After the harrowing experience, the 33-year-old had some advice for youngsters.

“Don’t love anyone on Facebook, don’t hide anything from your parents and follow a legal procedure to enter any country,” said Ansari. “I was worried and unsure if I would ever be able to return home from Pakistan, but eventually when I saw people supporting me, I started to pray. My family, the Indian government and Sushma Swaraj helped me a lot. I am thinking I should approach Aamir (Khan) for a movie to be made on me. I want to celebrate with my family, after that I will start looking for a job and only then will I marry and settle down.”

When asked about the torture he faced in jail, he said, “During the interrogation, I was tortured and my retina was torn. One can’t expect to be treated well in a prison.”

The family, which had shunned all functions awaiting their son’s return for six years was ready to serve biryani.

“Everything in the house was kept at the same place where it was six years ago,” said Khalid Ansari, Hamid’s elder brother.

“At the Wagah-Attari border, our first reflex was to thank our country. My parents haven’t attended a single wedding or social gathering in the past six years. We are too overwhelmed. First two days we didn’t even believe that he was back, we would touch him every now and then to make sure that he is back.”

First Published: Dec 21, 2018 08:31 IST