‘Coming back is second birth for me’: Kutch man returns house after 13 years in Pak jail

Residents of Nana Dinara and surrounding villages on the Indo-Pakistan border in Bhuj taluka of Kutch district erupted in pleasure and a festive temper prevailed as Ismail Sama, the cattle-herder who went lacking in 2008, returned house on Friday after spending 13 years in a Pakistan jail.
Relatives flocked round Ismail as he received out of the automobile pushed by his step-brother Junas at round nightfall. Emotions ran excessive because the 50-year-old embraced his sons.

Minutes later, he was led to an area mosque the place an enormous crowd cheered him. He was seated in the midst of circles shaped by younger and previous.
“After the Pakistani rangers caught me and intelligence agencies tortured me, suspecting me to be an Indian mole, I thought I may never return… I didn’t even dare think about home, as that would make me sad and drive me mad, as happens with many Indians held in Pakistan. I used to pray to Allah and he answered my prayers. Coming back home is second birth for me,” Ismail, who has had no formal schooling, informed The Indian Express at his house in Allaiya Vandh space of Nana Dinara.
Nana Dinara is round 50 km from the Indo-Pakistan border.
Ismail had gone lacking in August, 2008, whereas grazing his herd of cows. “A scorpion stung me and I felt giddy. I lost my direction. Next morning, around 10.30 am, Pakistan rangers caught me, telling me I had intruded into their country. They took me to hospital and after my condition improved, they handed me over to Inter Services Intelligence (ISI),” stated Ismail, son of a farmer.
Adding that the ISI tortured him for six months, Ismail stated, “They wanted me to confess that I was an Indian spy but I refused as I was not one. I told them that Allah was my protector and that I would prefer death over telling a lie… Then, they offered to let go of me if I worked for them, which was out of question.”
The father of 5 sons and three daughters was saved in a Pakistani navy facility in Hyderabad for 3 years earlier than a court docket convicted him of espionage and sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment in 2011, when he was shifted to Hyderabad Central Jail.
“I was kept with other Indians and Pakistanis suspected of being Indian agents. After my jail term got over, I was shifted to Karachi Central Jail. I applied four times to be shifted to Landhi jail where Indian fishermen are held. But none of them were accepted,” says Ismail.
He stated that to forestall recollections of house from haunting him, he received busy with work. “I learnt beadwork from other Pakistani inmates and kept myself busy as much as possible. When I was not working, I just prayed,” says Ismail, whereas ruffling the hair of Altaf, his youngest son, who was not even born when he was caught. Two of his youngsters received married in his absence.
It was solely in 2014 that he was granted consular entry by Pakistan whilst his household didn’t have any details about him. “I got fellow prisoners to write letters to my family from jail. I wrote 15 letters but I am learning it now that none was ever delivered,” he says.
His case was taken up with the Indian authorities by Mumbai-based activist Jatin Desai who was related to the Indian chapter of Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD).
Ismail’s spouse Kamabai got here to know that her husband was in a Pakistani jail solely when Rafiq Jat, a local of close by village returned from Pakistan in 2017 and knowledgeable that he and Ismail had been collectively within the jail.
After this revelation, Fazalla Sama, a social employee from Nana Dinara, and deputy sarpanch of the village took up his case, by writing letters to Indian and Pakistani governments and demanding his launch as his jail time period had already expired in 2016.
Eventually, the Islamabad High Court had cleared Ismail’s repatriation after Indian authorities talked about his case throughout a listening to of Kulbhushan Jadhav case in December 2020. He was launched from Karachi Central Jail on January 21 and was handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah border the following day. A staff of Kutch (west) police introduced him again on Friday.
“Ismail’s return is nothing less than the Eid or a wedding in the family,” Fazalla stated.

Ataulla, Ismail’s eldest son, who was 20 and married when Ismail went lacking, needed to deal with the household in his father’s absence. They personal a couple of acres of land and Ataulla additionally works as an off-the-cuff labourer. Kamabai helps the household by stitching quilts which might be gifted to girls once they get married within the area. Four of his eight youngsters are married now.

When requested about his subsequent plans, Ismail struggled to provide a solution.