Mumbai engineer gets 3-year jail in Pak for espionage

Mumbai, Feb 17: In a shocking incident, a Mumbai-based engineer is said to have been jailed for 3 years in Pakistan over charges of espionage.

The 27-year old engineer and management graduate from Mumbai, Hamid Ansari, is reported to have confessed of entering Pakistan illegally and possessing sensitive documents. He is also said to have had 7 Facebook accounts and 30 email addresses. Ansari's father Nehal Ahmed Ansari (59), is a retired bank manger and elder brother Khalid Ansari (32) is a dental surgeon.

His parents said,"It was on January 13 that we came to know that our son was alive and was in Pakistan army's custody and was facing a trial. We were hopeful that finally we will be able to get him back safe and sound. But the recent development came as a jolt to us and we will have to wait for more time to get our son back to India."

"We are not giving up hope. We have faith in god. We have faith in the Indian government and judiciary and we will do all that is possible from our side to get him back safely,"

"We have been running from pillar to post and I have already appealed to the external affairs ministry and have submitted all documents,"

" We are sure that both governments will agree that a human life is precious and an educated young guy like him should not suffer in a Pakistani jail."

Given the efforts taken for Hamid's release from both the sides, his mother thanks a number of people. I am grateful to the Indian government and also to some people in Pakistan who took up my son's case, including senior counsel Kazi Mohammed Anwar, who represented Hamid in the court and did not charge a single rupee for legal service," said Fauzia.

While the Pakistani media claims that Hamid Ansari has confessed to his crime, his mother wonders what it was. "I am not sure what crime my son has committed. As per his chats with his friends from Pakistan on Facebook before he went missing, he crossed over to Pakistan to help a girl who was a victim of a social evil," said Fauzia.

Ansari was convicted in Kohat, which is a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and was shifted to the Peshawar central prison. He has the right to appeal under the Pakistan Army Act.

OneIndia News