An engineer from Mumbai, who spent the last six years in a jail in Pakistan on espionage charges, has crossed the Attari-Wagah border to reach India. He was released earlier today.
Hamid Nehal Ansari, 33, was greeted by his family and many officials at the Wagah border. After entering India, he and his family knelt down and touched the soil with their foreheads. In an emotional reunion, his parents, Nehal and Fauzia, hugged their weary-looking son. An official then handed him a bottle of water.
The family then left with the many officials present without any interaction with the media.
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.
Mr Ansari, however, had left India for Afghanistan's capital Kabul for employment in November 2012, and since then was reported "missing".
News agency IANS quoting reports says he became friends with a Pakistani girl on social media and reached Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to save her from a forced marriage.
He was arrested by Pakistan authorities when he crossed over from Afghanistan border in Jalalabad to Peshawar in Pakistan on November 12, 2012. He was sentenced to three years in jail by a military court, but even after his jail term ended, Mr Ansari was not released from prison.
The foreign ministry said that it has received a note from Pakistan that they would be releasing Mr Ansari on Tuesday.
"It is a matter of great relief, especially for the family members, that six years of incarceration of the Indian civilian in Pakistan jail is coming to an end," Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
(With inputs from IANS)
Sri Lanka, Pakistan Visits Confirmed As New Zealand Reveal Packed Summer Schedule Watch: Young Boy's Bowling Action Goes Viral, Wasim Akram Says "Exactly Like Jasprit Bumrah" 3 Killed, 4 Injured After Coal Mine Collapses In Pakistan In Massive Row Over Karnataka 100% Quota Bill, Chief Minister Deletes Post "I Divorce You... Your Ex-Wife": Dubai Princess Dumps Husband In Insta Post BJP Plans UP Overhaul To Bounce Back From Lok Sabha Poll Drubbing: Sources Watch: Land "Taken By Mafia", Farmer Rolls On Floor With Folded Hands BJP Plans UP Overhaul To Bounce Back From Lok Sabha Poll Drubbing: Sources Trump Recalls Shooting, Says Bullet "Felt Like World's Largest Mosquito" Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.