The Hindu : National : “I was forced to admit to a crime I never committed”

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Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
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“I was forced to admit to a crime I never committed”

Luv Puri

Bishnah: “I cannot believe that I have come back. Every day of the last 11 years was miserable to say the least,” says Ram Prakash about the days of incarceration in Pakistan jails.

Prakash has now returned to his native place. He has appealed to the government to take up the case of Indians languishing in Pakistan jails.

The Hindu was among the first to report the case of the 56-year-old resident of the border belt of Bishnah five years ago.

“I was forced to admit to a crime I never committed,” says Prakash. “It’s like being reborn, to be back with my family.

‘Worst kinds of torture’

“The worst kinds of torture were inflicted on me and it is God’s grace that I survived.”

Prakash’s family has been through trying times. His parents died when he was away in Pakistan. His 24-year-old son had to drop out of school and sell vegetables to support the family.

Says Deepak:

“My father owned a small machine for grinding wheat and this business came to an end after his arrest. After my father’s sudden disappearance, the family searched for him in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

“A year later we got an envelope from Ram Prakash informing us that he was detained in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.”

Caught spying

But how did Prakash enter Pakistan? According to Pakistani authorities, he was arrested after he was caught spying in the Sialkot area of Pakistan’s Punjab.

However, Prakash says he was only trying to smuggle liquor.

The case of Prakash is a reminder of the travails and ordeals of border residents who get caught up in the animosity between India and Pakistan.

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