6 Pak boys to go home

It was truly Independence Day for them. There couldn’t have been more welcome news for these six Pakistani boys, who crossed over into ...

It was truly Independence Day for them. There couldn’t have been more welcome news for these six Pakistani boys, who crossed over into India accidentally, than the one they heard on August 14. The juvenile court, Banaskantha, ordered that the boys — lodged at Palanpur juvenile remand home — be released and deported to Pakistan. The formalities may be completed soon and the Hindu boys are likely to find themselves back home by Diwali.

The hype created over the case of 13-year-old Munir, who was recently sent back to Pakistan after he strayed into Rajasthan a month ago, proved to be a godsend for these boys.

Following Munir’s case, the case of 15-year-old Kishen Bhomuj Koli came to light. Kishen was shifted from the remand home to the city observation home for treatment of tuberculosis. Soon after, the authorities realised that Kishen wasn’t the only one and there were five other boys waiting to go home.

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Premalovji Koli (17) and Hira Prabhu Koli (16) were caught on 24 June, 2002, Sonu Patra Koli and Kishen Bhomuj Koli on June 25, 2002, Ranji (17) on May 12, 2002 while Sawaa (18) was caught on April 1, 2003. All six are from villages in Nagararkar taluka of Meethi district and belong to the Koli community. They had been charged under Section 3(2) of CrPC, Sections 6 and 12 of the Passport Act and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. The juvenile court observed that the boys had crossed over innocently and were not guilty of any of the accusations and should be sent back. The court has directed District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police Banaskantha, and Joint Secretary (Incharge Foreigners) Dept of Home to make immediate arrangements for the deportation.

Shah Rukh, won’t you meet this 10-year-old?

Express News Service
Mumbai, August 21

Spiked fences and Kalashnikovs that overshadow the destiny of nations are not the stuff that 10-year-old Amin Rangeenwalla’s dreams are made of. Even Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital, which surgically removed a brain tumour from the Pakistani boy, reciprocated: it treated Amin as an Indian citizen and considerably reduced the cost of surgery.

Amin is the first Pakistani child to be treated in Mumbai, after India recently announced its decision to offer medical facilities to children from the neighbouring country.

On a visit to Haji Ali dargah on Wednesday, Amin was a picture of childlike curiosity. ‘‘I like Bombay, I like its fast cars,’’ he whispered, leaning against the stone parapet opposite the famous Sufi shrine.

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Looking forward to a life without shackles post-surgery, Amin allowed his imagination to take wing. He said he wants to bowl fast on Karachi pitches ‘‘like Shoaib Akhtar’’ and dazzle on the Bollywood silver screen ‘‘like Shah Rukh Khan’’.

Amin’s father Mohammed Habib Rangeenwalla, a 50-year-old paper products dealer in Karachi, spoke fondly on India’s decision. ‘‘His operation was more complicated than that of Noor Fatima, and lasted even longer,’’ he said, referring to the girl who was treated in Bangalore recently.

But Amin is not bothered with such details. Just now, he has one wish: ‘‘I want to shake hands with Shah Rukh. Do you know his address?’’

India win hands down, skip the handshake with Pakistan

Sports10 min ago

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav led his team to a dominant seven-wicket victory against Pakistan in the Asia Cup match, dedicating the win to the Armed Forces and mentioning the Pahalgam terror attack. Yadav's refusal to shake hands with the Pakistani players added to the intensity of the game. Despite the lack of drama, the match was action-packed.

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