SUKKUR, March 24: A young man and his mother went to India to visit their relatives but the man was detained for 25 months for possessing Rs100 fake Indian currency which he exchanged in a train in India.

Jamal Qureshi, resident from Rohri, who reached home on Sunday, finds him to be fortunate for having returned alive from an Indian Jail, following his trial in an Indian court. He was booked by Shah Jahan police on Oct 14, 2005, where he had gone along with his mother to meet relatives.

He gave the details of his three-year ordeal in Indian jail to this scribe at his Rohri residence where he was surrounded by jubilant family members, but not the mother who had died in his absence. He was kept unaware of that when he was in the Indian prison.

According to Jamal Qureshi, he went to Shah Jahanpur via Wagha border to meet his relatives along with his mother.

At Attari railway station, a Sikh money changer came to their compartment and exchanged Rs 4,000 in return of Indian currency with Qureshi’s mother. The money exchanger exchanged currency with other passengers also in the same way.

On the second day when Qureshi arrived at Shah Jahanpur, he went to the police station to record their arrival. The policeman demanded undue gratification and Qureshi, gave them Rs100.

The police station’s staff declared that the note was fake and registered a case of fake currency, showing the recovery of Rs1,800 from him. After physically torturing him, they locked him up, Qureshi said.

He said that after three days he was sent to Shah Jahanpur Jail, where he was again tortured and was put under hard labour. “The staff used to abuse me as well as Pakistan and poor quality meals were served to me,” he said.

The matter came up in the knowledge of his maternal uncle who bailed him out after four months for a sum of Rs 500,000.

“The Indian police forced my mother to return to Pakistan after sending me to jail, without letting her to go to my uncle although we had 30 days valid Indian visa,” Qureshi said.

“Proceeding of the case took more than two and half years during which more than Rs 200,000 were spent by my uncle. Finally the court honourably acquitted me, but the police threatened me to leave India immediately he said.”

Qureshi said that he walked into Pakistan through Wagha border.

He deplored that it was quite painful that the Pakistan embassy officials in India did not extend any sort of help to relieve him. Neither did they help him in the prosecution proceedings.

According to Qureshi, the role of human right organisation was also deplorable as none of them raised their voice for Qureshi or had any contact with Indian Authority.

Qureshi said that Hindu minorities in Pakistan were well protected and honoured as they enjoyed better privileges and rights.

“If such incident ever happens to Indian guests travelling to Pakistan, it is seen that Indian ambassador and their government extend them maximum support from facing any problem. Ironically, if a Pakistani national goes into trouble in India the Pakistan embassy does not bother to help him,” Qureshi said.