Big penalty for small mistake: Gopal Dass returns home

Islamabad, Apr 7:

50-year-old Gopal Dass reached India and informed that the neighbour country had treated him well. However, Dass slammed the Indian government over for not doing enough for Indian prisoners jailed in Pakistan.
2:00 PM

Gopal Dass pays 27 yrs to Pakistan for 1 mistake;to be freed
He had committed one mistake 27 years back and spent the biggest part of his lifetime in Pakistan jail. However, finally, he got permission to return to his home country - India. It's not the story-line of any new Bollywood movie. It's the real story of an unfortunate Indian - Gopal Dass.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has remitted Gopal Dass' jail term and the Indian prisoner is expected to be freed on Thursday, Apr 7. Sources informed that Dass' jail term has been remitted over the recommendation of the federal government "to honour" the Supreme Court of India's appeal to Pakistan to that effect earlier in Mar, 2011 on humanitarian grounds.

After apparently crossing the border by mistake, Gopal Dass was detained by Pakistani army in 1984. According the Pakistani police records, Dass was sentenced to life imprisonment in Jun 1987 and was due to be released by the end of 2011 under the law.

He would be set free by Pakistani officials at the Attari border, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said. However, it seems that Pakistan is trying to continue the diplomacy started by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Manmohan Singh invited his Pakistani counterpart yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the India-Pakistan world cup semi-final which was held in Mohali on Mar 30.

However, the question still remains - Isn't it a big penalty for committing a mistake like crossing the border without any consent? Gopal Dass will return home after a long time, but will he get back his lost time and life?

OneIndia News