Will love to come back to India, says repatriated Pakistan boy

Amritsar : A 17-year-old Pakistani boy, who returned to his native place on Tuesday after languishing in a juvenile home in India for nearly two years, said he would love to come back to this country, but with a visa.

Expressing gratitude to Indian officials for his safe return, Mubshar Bilal told the media ahead of his repatriation that he was excited to meet his family, comprising brothers, sisters and the mother.

The boy, who was languishing in a juvenile home in Punjab's Hoshiarpur town for inadvertently crossing the international border in February 2018, was later reunited with his family.

He was handed over to the Pakistan Rangers at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post between India and Pakistan, some 30 km from Amritsar.

Bilal belongs to Pakistan's Kasur district. "I am thankful to Indian officials for taking care of my wellbeing and facilitating my safe return. I would love to come back to India but after getting my passport and with a visa," a visibly upbeat Bilal told the media.

A case relating to his repatriation is pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and is listed for the next hearing on January 15.

Ahead of the hearing, the Union Home Ministry, in a communication to the juvenile home authorities, took the decision to repatriate Mubshar, popularly known as Mubarak.

Legal-cum-Probation Officer Sukhjinder Singh told IANS that the boy was acquitted by the juvenile justice board on September 4, 2018.

The boy said he inadvertently entered the Indian side of the border in Tarn Taran district on the night of February 27, 2018 after a dispute with his family. His house is located close to the Indian territory and there is no fencing.