Amidst of the tensions prevailing between India and Pakistan, a news has come which could act as a healer for the wounds. A five-year-old Pakistani boy was reunited with his mother on 4th Februaryat the Wagah-Attari border, with help from Indian authorities.
The boy, Iftikhar Ahmed, had been taken “forcibly” to India by his father, who belongs to Jammu and Kashmir, a year ago.
The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said that the five-year-old boy was lodged for some time in a hotel in Amritsar with a senior diplomat and later taken to Wagah.
Pakistan thanked India for the help in helping with the boy’s return.
Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit “appreciated the cooperative role of Indian government” in the return of Iftikhar Ahmed, the statement said.
In March 2016, Iftikhar’s father Gulzar Ahmed took him to Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir.
Subsequently, the boy’s mother Rohina Kiyani who belongs to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, filed a case in an Indian court for his custody.
The verdict on the case was given in May 2016, but due to the growing border tensions it took 8 months for the mother to get her son’s custody.
Gulzar had allegedly lied to his wife that he was taking Iftikhar to a wedding with him. He took the boy to Dubai and then to Ganderbal.
However, after the case was taken up by the Pakistan High Commission and it was proven that Iftikhar was a Pakistani national, the verdict was given that he be repatriated to Pakistan.
