Pakistan national among Indian repatriates?

While the fate of the 14 mentally-deranged Indian nationals repatriated from Pakistan in 2007 continues to be dogged with uncertainty, officials suspect that one of them, a 45-year-old woman, is a Pakistani national. All of them have been since confined in the government mental hospital jail here.

Maya, who was part of the group repatriated to India six years ago on Independence Day, told officials that she belongs to Kharkoda village in Haryana. The Haryana state officials who were asked to spot her native place, told the Union home ministry that no such village exists in the state.

Officials here, assuming that she perhaps hailed from Sarkoda in Pakistan, referred it back to the Centre suggesting that her credentials needed to be verified with the Pakistan Government. “Since she is apparently incoherent and is mentally unstable, it is suspected that Pakistan might have infiltrated her,” said a senior official, adding that she might as well be an Indian. “But we are still wrestling with the problem,” he added.

Meanwhile, the rest of the 13 repatriates have not been able to find their homes either.