Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari (L) gestures as his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (R) waves upon their arrival while India's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal (C) looks on at the airport in New Delhi April 8, 2012.
Ilahi aimed to meet President Zardari, in order to highlight the predicaments and plights of prisoners of war who live in inhumane conditions in the prisons of both the countries.—Reuters Photo

Mehbooh Ilahi, a former Indian spy, who had spent some time with President Asif Ali Zardari, as an inmate at Karachi Central Jail, showed keen interest in meeting the Pakistani president during his visit to India, according to a news report published in The Hindu.

According to The Hindu, Ilahi aimed to meet President Zardari, in order to highlight the predicaments and plights of prisoners of war who live in inhumane conditions in the prisons of both the countries.

The report also cites that Ilahi had written to Shahid Malik, Pakistan High Commissioner in India, and President Pratibha Patil requesting both the officials to assist him in seeking appointment with President Zardari.

Ilahi is a 52-year-old man who has spent over 20 years in various Pakistani jails since 1977, after he was accused of spying for India in Pakistan. He claims to have stayed with the president of Pakistan for two to three months in Karachi.

Ilahi recalls the magnanimity of various Pakistani leaders including the president who offered him coffee and other eatables.

Ilahi wants to direct President Zardari’s attention towards different prisoners of war who have completed their term in the jail however have not yet been released. He requests the president to expedite their release.

Opinion

Editorial

All out
Updated 25 Feb, 2025

All out

PAKISTAN cricket captain Mohammad Rizwan’s assessment was brutal — it could not have been any other way. At ...
Bearing the brunt
25 Feb, 2025

Bearing the brunt

FOR the past several months, we have repeatedly been told by the prime minister and his cabinet that the government...
Afghan resettlement
25 Feb, 2025

Afghan resettlement

AFGHAN refugees who fled their country after the Taliban took over in 2021, and who hoped to resettle in the West,...
Taliban divisions
Updated 24 Feb, 2025

Taliban divisions

The only workable solution lies in Mullah Akhundzada loosening his iron grip on the country.
Oblivious to drought
24 Feb, 2025

Oblivious to drought

PAKISTAN faces two types of drought: one caused by dry weather or lower-than-normal rainfall, and the other ...
Digital children
24 Feb, 2025

Digital children

AS most parents with young children will agree, the easiest way to pacify a bawling child is to hand them a...