Bahar jake mein ek gudiya loongi aur dusre bachon ke sath khelungi (After going out, I will purchase a doll and play with other children), said six-year-old Mobin, who finally breathed in free air, along with her mother Parveen Kausar alias Shehnaz here this afternoon. As the duo emerged from behind the huge gates of the Central Jail, Shehnaz said “Mujhe aur meri bachhi ko insaaf mil gaya. Unhone humare liye bahut kuch kiya. Meri bachhi ki parvarish ke liye, unhone hume rehne ke liye ek kamra aur teen lakh rupaye bhi diya hain (We have got justice. The judges had done a lot for us. They have given us a room and awarded compensation of Rs three lakh for my child).” Shehnaz was in jail for the last seven years on charge of having illegally crossed over to Indian territory from PoK. The poor woman had in fact jumped into the river to commit suicide and was pushed over to the Indian side by the strong currents. Her nightmare did not end there. She was raped by a warden inside Poonch jail and gave birth to Mobin. Since then, the minor girl had also been in jail along with her mother. However, this nightmare ended when duo was released from Central Jail today in presence of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Suresh Sharma, who had gone to the jail as per the High Court orders to ascertain Shehnaz’s wishes. The court had held Mobin’s detention as illegal saying she was in custody along with her mother and was not at fault. Holding that she be treated as a domicile of Jammu and Kashmir in view of her having been conceived and born in the state, the court had also ordered Shehnaz’s release as she was the only guardian of the child. Apart from this, the court had ordered the state government to provide them accommodation available to its employees in the lowest category, besides a compensation of Rs three lakh to be deposited in Mobin’s name. Earlier, talking to mediapersons inside the jail, Shehnaz said Mein ab Indian nagrik hoon, aur yahin par rehna chahti hoon (I am an Indian citizen and I would like to stay here). Shehnaz’s parents, four brothers and three sisters all live in PoK. She had received a letter from them was a few months ago, she said. ‘‘If permitted by the Indian government, I will seek a passport and go there to meet my family,’’ she said, adding she now wants to live for her daughter. “Meine age hi saat saal jail mein gujar diye hain. Itne hi aur saal baad meri beti badi ho jayegi. Mujhe ab uske liye kuch karna hai (I have already spent seven years in jail and after seven more years, my daughter will be a grown-up. I have to do something for her),” she says. ‘‘I have learnt stitching and embroidery inside the jail,’’ she said, adding Agar sarkar mujhe ek silai machine de to main yeh bahar bhi kar sakti hoon. To give her child the name of a father, she is ready to pardon even her alleged rapist Mohammad Din. Agar woh mujhe kabool kar le aur mere saath koi badsaluki na kare to mein uske saath shadi ke liye teyar hoon (If he accepts me and does not intimidate me, I am prepared to marry him).
