Mumbai:
32-year-old Bhavesh Parmar returned to Mumbai this afternoon from Amritsar after being released from a Pakistan prison yesterday. Bhavesh, who mysteriously landed up in Pakistan, entered India through the Wagah border hours after his release. Speaking to reporters after his arrival in Mumbai, a dazed Bhavesh said, "I am happy to be back home after so many years in Pakistan."
Bhavesh was escorted out of the airport by Member of Parliament Priya Dutt, Member of legislative Assembly Krishna Hegde and his mother Hansa Parmar. He went to the MLA's office and then returned home to friends and relatives
Speaking to NDTV, Krishna Hegde, MLA from Vile Parle, who got involved in the process of getting Bhavesh back home said, "For the past six to eight months, I have been processing this. I have been in touch with our External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, Preneet Kaur, MoS External Affairs and the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. I have coordinated with NGOs and our MP Mrs Priya Dutt. After seven months we were informed day before yesterday that Bhavesh parmar is being released. We wnt to the Wagah border and completed immigration process with local authorities and the Red Cross.
Speaking to NDTV, Bhavesh's mother Hansa said, "I am happy that Bhavesh has returned home and I would like to thank our government, our MP Priya Dutt and our MLA Krishna Hegde without whom it would not have been possible."
Pakistan-India people's forum for Peace and Democracy member, Jatin Desai, who has been working on this case, told NDTV "The lesson from this is that both the governments should honour agreements. If agreements are implemented in letter and spirit the kind of hardship innocent people like Bhavesh face, can be avoided. Agreements have to be implemented in letter and spirit. The other thing is that bureaucrats in both countries need to be sensitive, which they are not."
In 2006, after his father died of cancer, Bhavesh, a commerce graduate slipped into depression. One day in his mother's absence he went missing and was nowhere to be found. Years later his mother was informed by the Mumbai police that her son was lodged in a jail in Lahore. Hansa then pursued the matter and approached Krishna Hedge for help earlier this year. After months of effort, Bhavesh Parmar returned home today, returning the smile on his mother's face.