Jammu family still awaits 1971 PoW's return

When Sepoy Jagdish Lal's granddaughter gave birth to a son on December 4, the first thing the family did was post the newborn's picture on Twitter and tag Pakistan's Prime Minister and PMO India with an appeal to release the prisoner of 1971 Indo-Pak War.

"Humble Request from newly born great grandson of Jagdish Lal of 2 Mahar to @PMO India and @ImranKhanPTI for release. Please," tweeted Bansi Lal Raja, Sepoy's Lal's son-in-law.

Sepoy Lal of 2 Mahar regiment chose the battlefield over his family in the best traditions of the Indian army. He left behind two minor daughters and a five-month pregnant wife, Rano Devi, when he went into battle in 1971. India won the war, but Lal's family has been fighting for his return for 47 years. They believe he is languishing in a Pakistani jail after being taken as a prisoner of war. Sepoy Lal was among the six soldiers of Jammu division who went missing.

"We want Imran Khan to release our dear ones," says Raja, "Like with the Kartarpur corridor, he should take up the initiative to release Indian prisoners of war on humanitarian grounds. So many bigger issues have been solved, why are these prisoners being held back?"

When the two union ministers – Harsimrat Kaur and Hardeep Puri – went to Pakistan for Kartarpur corridor's groundbreaking ceremony, Raja appealed to them to bring up the issue with the Pakistani leadership. "We believe he is alive because so many people have returned to India after spending decades in Pakistan. God forbid, he is not, we request Pakistan to give us his mortal remains so that there is closure," says Raja.

The Missing Warrior

• Sepoy Jagdish Lal of 2 Mahar regiment went into battle, leaving behind two minor daughters and a pregnant wife, Rano Devi
• He was among 6 soldiers of the Jammu division who went missing, and the family believes he is in a Pakistan jail