This happened after Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar tweeted a Geo News report alleging that a Pakistani boy with hearing and speech disabilities was lodged in Amritsar jail, and asked Swaraj to look onto the matter.
A 12-year-old hearing-impaired boy from Pakistan, lodged at Faridkot children’s home since May this year, became a subject of cross-border speculation following a twitter exchange between a Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
It was on December 2 that Tarar tweeted a Geo News report alleging that a Pakistani boy with hearing and speech disabilities was lodged in Amritsar jail, and asked Swaraj to look onto the matter. She also marked the tweet to the prime minister and the home minister. In reply, Swaraj asked Tarar to send details.
Two days later, Tarar shared that the boy’s name was Hammad Hussain and his father was one Ghulam Mustafa, a resident of Pasrur, Punjab. As per the father, Hammad had gone missing from Pasrur near Sialkot in 2013.
In a series of tweets on December 6, Swaraj said India has five Pakistani nationals who are unable to speak and hear. Three of them are in a transit camp in Amritsar but Pakistan has not confirmed their nationality.
She further tweeted that they have a 12-year-old juvenile in the Faridkot observation home. He was apprehended by the BSF in May 2017. “We are waiting for Pakistan to confirm his nationality as well,” she tweeted.
She wrote that even though the boy was just 12 and had strayed into the Indian territory in May this year, the Indian government was ready to give the parents a visa. “We are prepared to give visa to parents of Hammad if they believe the juvenile we have is their son. They may visit India, meet him and confirm for themselves.”
The Border Security Force (BSF) had detained the 12-year-old when he crossed over to the Indian side in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab on May 1. He could not speak or hear, and it was only from a currency note in his pocket that they found he was from Pakistan. Two days later, he was sent to children’s observation home.
Officials say they sent the boy to Amritsar in the hope that counselors for hearing impaired would be able to find the name of his native place from him, but without any success.
Deputy commissioner of Faridkot, Rajiv Prashar, said nobody from Pakistan has so far approached the administration for the boy’s custody. “We will be very happy if he returns home,” he said.
He said the boy has been under special care at the observation home and is being counseled regularly. He has also made friends with other inmates.
Charges galore
The police have slapped a slew of serious charges against the juvenile. He has been booked under Sections 3 (punishment of offences committed beyond, but which by law may be tried within India), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), Section 20 of the Indian Passport Act and Section 14 of the Foreign Act at the police station (Sadar) in Ferozepur.
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