Madrasa teacher freed from Pak jail reaches home
PTI | 11:08 PM,Aug 31,2010Howrah (WB), Aug 31 (PTI) Freed after spending seven years in a Pakistani jail, Abdul Karim, the prisoner recently released said there were seven others Indian prisoners behind bars in the neighbouring country. Karim, caught by Pakistani Rangers after he strayed into no man's land across the Punjab border in 2003, arrived here today from Amritsar via bus. "To my knowledge seven other prisoners are still in jail there," the madrasa teacher said. Unwilling to speak about his days in the Pakistani prison in Rawalpindi, the 27-year-old, who accidentally went across the border to fetch a ball while he was playing soccer with students, said indulged in gardening. Karim, a resident of Betabi village in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district, was sentenced to imprisonment at the central jail in Rawalpindi. He was discovered by the International Red Cross in 2007 and the Ministry of External Affairs took up his case with the Pakistan authorities even as an NGO, Diganta Welfare Society, moved the Centre. Since then, it has been a long process between the two countries, which culminated in Abdul's release in May and him finally walking free to India on August 29. But, Karim's father Mohammed Tazuddin died a disconsolate man in May waiting for news of his son. Roy said Karim is the first Indian to be released after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. "We were afraid of not getting him back with the collapse of all communications, but luck finally smiled," the activist said.
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