Hamid Nehal Ansari was 'physically tortured' by Pakistani authorities

New Delhi, Dec 20: Hamid Nehal Ansari, an Indian national who was kept in Pakistani jails for over six years, was not only accused of being an Indian spy by Islamabad but also physically tortured, said reports.

Ansari told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that he was physically tortured by Pakistan's intelligence agencies and that his left eye was damaged, an Indian Express report said while quoting sources. He was also kept in solitary confinement for sometime.

Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, was lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court to three years' imprisonment for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card on December 15, 2015. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2012 for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

Islamabad had alleged that Mr Ansari was an "Indian spy" who illegally entered Pakistan and accused him of being involved in anti-state crimes, forging documents.

Ansari was handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah-Attari border on Tuesday. Ansari knelt in reverence after crossing the border.