Kin appeal to free Pakistani man from Indian jail

The family of a Pakistani man languishing in an Indian jail since February 2013 has appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to secure his release, a media report said here on Tuesday.

Mohammed Yousuf was arrested by Indian customs officials in a case of carrying fake currency after a heated argument between them, reports Dawn online.

Yousuf, along with his wife and son, had gone to Munabao railway transit point on the India-Pakistan bordcer by Thar Express on February 23, 2013. He was first cleared by Indian customs officials but another officer approached him asking about the money he was carrying, the report said.

Yousuf told the official that he had Indian currency worth Rs.30,000 ($467) with him to meet the expenses at an Indian wedding. The officer objected to the amount and then claimed that the currency notes were counterfeit.

According to Dawn report, Yousuf was presented before a Jaipur court, which found the currency genuine and acquitted him. However, he was kept in prison in a separate case of scuffle.

According to official reports, a total of 380 Pakistanis - 264 civilians and 116 fishermen - are in Indian prisons.