In Pak jail since childhood, help comes his way after 36 yrs

Nanak Singh was just 7 years when he accidentally strayed into Pakistan from Punjab. That was way back in 1984, 36 years ago.

His parents living in Amritsar’s Shanna Bedi village, located less than two km from the international border, have not seen Nanak since then.  Their son has been lodged in a jail in Pakistan for decades now.

A glimmer of hope has now given the family some reason to think positively. The family says former Pakistan MP and Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e Insaf party leader Rai Azizullah Khan has promised to help get Nanak out of jail. He has reportedly sought all documents related to the case so that he can pursue the matter with authorities in Pakistan.

Nanak today would have crossed 40 years of age. His father Rattan Singh said he just wants to see his son once before he dies. The family has suffered enough, knocked on all doors but to little avail. They hope Khan’s intervention may prove lucky and unite them with their son once again.

One ill-fated day in 1984, the family said Nanak was with the cattle in the fields criss-crossing the international boundary. The border with Pakistan in Punjab was then not fenced. A playful Nanak accidentally strayed into the bounds of Pakistan and was caught by Pakistan rangers. His tender age was of no consequence to the hostile neighbour. The Border Security Force (BSF) intervened with official communiques to their counterparts in Pakistan, but to no avail.

For about 14 years, Nanak’s family banked on ‘grapevine’ about his welfare and whereabouts. It was around 1999 when the police informed the family that Nanak was lodged in a jail in Pakistan, but under a different name ‘Kakar’.