A farmer from Ferozepur in Punjab has been sentenced to one month in prison by a Pakistani court after inadvertently crossing the border. His father confirmed the development and has urged both the Central and Punjab governments to take immediate steps to secure his release, as per PTI.
Amritpal, who is married and has a young daughter, owns about 8.5 acres of farmland that lies between the fencing at the India-Pakistan border. On June 21, he went to tend to his fields near the Border Outpost (BOP) Rana, an area monitored by the Border Security Force (BSF). However, he failed to return before the border gate closed around 5 pm that day.
BSF personnel later discovered his footprints leading towards the Pakistani side, indicating he might have crossed over unknowingly. On June 27, Pakistani Rangers informed the BSF that Amritpal was in the custody of their local police.
Pakistani lawyer shares copy of court order
According to his father, Jugraj, a lawyer from Pakistan shared a copy of the court order which stated that Amritpal was charged under Pakistan’s Foreigner Act of 1946. The court sentenced him to one month in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. If the fine isn’t paid, he could face an additional 15 days in jail.
The court has also instructed authorities to begin his deportation proceedings after his sentence ends.
Amritpal recently contacted his family and apprised them about his condition. Meanwhile, his father has urged the government to initiate diplomatic efforts to ensure his son’s release.
BSF reopened gates to locate Amritpal
Amritpal had gone to his farmland on a motorcycle but didn’t come back in the evening. The BSF even reopened the gate after hours in hopes of locating him, but he was missing.
During the summer, farmers in border districts like Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot are allowed to work on their fields between the fencing and the actual international border, an area commonly referred to as the zero line, under tight BSF supervision from 8 am to 5 pm.
