The anxious wait continues for the family of Amritpal Singh, a 23-year-old Indian farmer from Punjab's Ferozepur district, who remains confined in a Pakistani jail despite completing his one-month prison sentence nearly three months ago. With his three-month internment order set to expire on December 26, there is still no clarity on when he will be deported back to India.
An Inadvertent Border Crossing Leads to Arrest
The ordeal began on June 21, when Amritpal Singh, a resident of Khere Ke Uttar village, crossed the India-Pakistan border near Rana Panjgrain village in Ferozepur. Like many farmers in the area, he routinely crossed the fencing gate manned by the Border Security Force (BSF) to till his land. On that fateful afternoon, he inadvertently strayed into Pakistani territory.
He was promptly apprehended by the Pakistan Rangers and handed over to the police. An FIR was registered against him at the Kanganpur police station in Pakistan's Kasur district. Later, on July 28, the court of Chunian civil judge Nasar Mehmood Gondal convicted him under Section 4 of The Pakistan (Control of Entry) Act 1952 and Section 14 of The Foreigner Act 1946.
Legal Limbo After Sentence Completion
Amritpal Singh completed his one-month sentence on September 25. The very next day, the office of the superintendent of Lahore central jail approached the home department of Pakistan's Punjab province, seeking his deportation to India. Instead of release, the government issued internment orders for three months, confining him in jail as an internee until December 26. The order stated he would be deported upon the issuance of formal orders by Pakistan's Ministry of Interior.
His father, Jugraj Singh, revealed that despite assurances from Pakistan's Punjab province to the Lahore High Court about placing Amritpal's case before the Federal Review Board, a scheduled meeting on December 13 did not take place. "As my son's case could not be considered by the Federal Review Board on Dec 13, now I am waiting for the completion of internment orders, which will expire on Dec 26," Jugraj Singh told TOI on Wednesday.
Mounting Anxiety and Legal Efforts
The family's distress is compounded by the legal inertia. A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court to highlight Amritpal's situation. On November 5, a bench led by Justice Muhammad Waheed Khan directed the law officer to contact concerned authorities and submit a report by November 12. The petition was later disposed of after authorities informed the court that the case would be placed before the Federal Review Board in the December 13 meeting, which ultimately did not happen.
On the Indian side, the BSF authorities had alerted the Guru Harsahai police station on June 22, requesting an FIR. Their report noted that Amritpal Singh had gone for routine agricultural work and footprints suggested a possible inadvertent crossing into Pakistan.
With the internment period nearing its end, Amritpal Singh's family in Ferozepur remains in a state of anxious uncertainty, desperately hoping for a swift resolution and his safe return home.
