22 mentally ill Indians languish in Pak prisons despite finishing jail term

New Delhi: At least 22 mentally challenged Indians are languishing in Pakistan prisons despite having served their jail terms, as they are unable to give their addresses to authorities and thus await repatriation.

A year ago, Pakistan had conveyed to India that 17 Indians, including four women, had completed their jail terms in that country but they could not be sent back home as they were unable to recall their whereabouts since they are "mentally unsound".

And now, according to reports, five more people have been added to the list of mentally ill Indian prisoners who are waiting to go back home but cannot furnish their details.

Two of the prisoners cannot even recall their names. While one of them is said to be a middle-aged man who has a ‘Om’ tattooed on the back of his palm, the other man has no such distinguished details and is simply recorded as ‘unknown’ in official files.

The Indian government had given special consular access to 17 of the prisoners, hoping to make a breakthrough last year. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad had sent the pictures of all the 17 prisoners to Ministry of External Affairs to trace their family members but not much has come of it.

"These prisoners have not been able to disclose any particulars about themselves including the names of their parents or relatives, due to their mentally unsound condition," says Indian High Commission in Islamabad.