Upon his return, Gujarat’s Kuldeep Yadav’s family is struggling because of a precarious financial situation.
NEW DELHI: After serving 28 years in a Pakistan prison, Gujarat native Kuldeep Yadav has now returned to his family in India. Last week, Punjab Police Amritsar called his family to inform them that he had been released from prison in Pakistan. However, upon return, the family is still having difficulties because of their financial situation.
Seeking help from the Indian government, Rekha, who works with the Border Security Force, told The Sunday Guardian, “After receiving a call from the Punjab Police Amritsar, we came to know that he was released. Currently, we are all staying with him. He looks weak and is not well. He is not financially capable. We request the government to provide him with some help financially. Although he is released from jail, he is unable to get any sort of financial stability and he cannot be dependent on his family members forever.”
While speaking of the challenges, Rekha described how her visa got rejected when she tried to visit Pakistan to meet her brother. “My visa got rejected at first, and when I tried to visit him for the second time, everybody asked me not to take the risk. My family was afraid that Kuldeep was also inside the jail, so my family thought I was also in danger so they asked me not to visit him,” she told this paper.
Yadav, 59, was arrested in 1994 on charges of espionage and sentenced to life term. Rekha doesn’t remember the exact incident on that day, however, while speaking to this paper she recalled, “We came to know about his arrest after receiving a letter from Pakistan civil court. He was an LLB student at that time, but I have knowledge about whether he has completed his degree or not.”
While speaking to media houses, Kuldeep said that he was arrested and sent to jail for two years in Pakistan and before he could return, he was arrested again in 1994. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pakistani court and served the majority of his time behind bars at Kot-Lakhpat prison. He also met Sarabjit Singh, who attempted to return several times.
Yadav was released from jail on 22 August. He entered India through the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab. He urged the Indian High Commission in Pakistan to acknowledge the plight of Indians detained in Pakistan’s jails and assist in bringing them back home. He stated that the Indian prisoners who were subjected to severe torture by Pakistani officials have lost their mental stability and are unable to even recall their names and addresses. Even after serving their entire sentence, some people remained in the prison. He also told his family members that no one from the Indian government came to meet them.
In a letter, Yadav disclosed that he was arrested by Pakistani police on 23 March 1994, and held in custody for three years. After that, he was sent to Kot Lakhpat prison in 1996 after being given a 25-year prison term for espionage by a military court. In 1989, Yadav left his house, saying he was travelling to New Delhi for a job, but he didn’t mention the details of his job and later on, his family couldn’t contact him.