Thank you so much for your very convincing and appealing editorial “Free this man” (April 19) to support the release of Dr. Khalil Chishty, a Pakistani citizen, languishing in prison at Ajmer for nearly 20 years.
The civil society in Pakistan, especially its peace and human rights activists, which craves for normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan, greatly appreciates your editorial policy and the prominent coverage in your esteemed paper, highlighting such human right issues. Your apt, timely and valuable gesture for human right causes will help Pakistani prisoners, particularly those who have already completed their sentences or have not been prosecuted for about 18-19 years and have suffered victimisation for some trivial reason or misunderstanding. Reporting such issues and editorials will definitely improve public opinion in the two countries which is necessary to pave the way for a peace process to achieve its objectives expeditiously.
We in Pakistan have been making consistent efforts for the release of Indian prisoners, especially fishermen in the jails of Karachi. It was only last week that 89 more fishermen were released and repatriated to India. There are many more prisoners of India who deserve to be released and repatriated. On our part we will continue to make efforts for their earliest release.
Perhaps it would be relevant here to record our satisfaction that the governments of India and Pakistan have broken the ice not only to have meaningful dialogue but also to address human rights issues including the release of prisoners. As a result of the meeting of the two Secretaries of Interior last month in New Delhi, after a long and undesirable break of two and half years, the India-Pakistan Joint Judicial Committee, comprising four retired judges of superior courts of each country, resumed its session in Pakistan from April 18-22.
We have presented our representation to the committee for the earliest release and repatriation of Dr. Chishty. We are very hopeful that it will support our representation and the government of India accepts its recommendations without any further delay.
I would also like to record my appreciation of the recent statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sahib, who has expressed the desire to have friendly, cordial and peaceful relations with Pakistan.
We hope our two countries manage to have warm cordial peaceful relations at least like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), if not like the European Union. Let's hope these sentiments and efforts bear fruit soon.
Senator (R) Iqbal Haider,
Islamabad
