Pak boy homeward bound after 4 yrs

District Social Security Officer and head of the juvenile home Harpal Singh said, “Tracing Asif’s family was difficult because he did not reveal his identity. Subsequently, the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner, Alok Shekhar, took up the issue of his return with the government.”

‘‘He was caught on July 27 2002, for violating the Passport (Entry into India) Act and he was discharged by the court in September 2003,” says Shekhar. “He was barely seven years old and he could not tell us anything about his family.’’

Among seven Pakistani children who were at the juvenile home, only Asif could not be repatriated before now, he added.

Recalls Shinder Pal Singh, a member of the Watch and Ward staff, “ When he came here, Asif did not utter a sound. He was in a deep depression and was always submissive and quiet.”

Shekhar took up the matter with the Border Security Force, which managed to trace Asif’s antecedents with the help of the Pakistani Rangers last August. Asif’s father Majid identified him, and the formalities of his return were completed.

They wait on…..

The Faridkot Juvenile Protection Home has five Pakistani children. The youngest among them is eight-year-old Suhail, whose mother is at Central Jail, Amritsar. His father deserted them soon after they came to India. The others awaiting return are Mohd Khurm Nawaz, Imran Masih, Mithun Masih and Shaukat Ali.