Harvinder’s uncle, Harpal Singh, said his nephew contacted the family twice from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore to inform them about the court’s decision.
In a major development, a Lahore court has ordered the release and repatriation of two Indian nationals who were swept into Pakistan after accidentally crossing the border through the flooded Sutlej river in July 2023.
The two men Harvinder Singh, son of Mukhtiar Singh, a resident of Parjian Bihari village in Ludhiana, and Ratanpal, son of Mahinder Singh, from Khaihra Mustarka village in Jalandhar district were taken into custody by Pakistan’s Border Rangers after they drifted into Pakistani territory near village Ghazniwala in Ferozepur.
They were among six Indians arrested at the time. Pakistani authorities had initially accused them of drug trafficking, a charge their families consistently denied, stating that the men had been carried across the border by strong river currents during flooding.
According to family members, the two have spent nearly two and a half years in prison. On December 13, a Lahore court ordered their release after completion of their sentence and directed authorities to begin the process of sending them back to India.
Harvinder’s uncle, Harpal Singh, said his nephew contacted the family twice from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore to inform them about the court’s decision. “The judge ordered his release and asked the jail authorities to send him back to India,” he said.
The families and villagers have expressed happiness and relief over the court’s order.
