According to a Times of India report, an old jail mate of the president during his incarceration in 1986-87 wished to request amnesty for Indian prisoners languishing in Pakistan’s jails. Mehboob Elahi was imprisoned in the Karachi Central Jail himself at the time on charges of being an Indian spy, and remained imprisoned for two decades till 1996.
According to Elahi, President Zardari was a close associate during a trying time and he hoped the connection would come to some use in his cause for the release of prisoners.
The former Indian spy recalled that the president had always sympathised with the Indian prisoners, who were treated even worse than the Pakistani prisoners, according to him. The president would give them sweets and soap bars, he added. He would also talk about the oppression of Ziaul Haq’s regime, Elahi said, and had a following within the jail.
Unfortunately, the bond the two shared didn’t appear to be strong enough to bring hundreds of prisoners incarcerated on this side of the border back home.
Elahi sought a meeting with President Zardari via a letter written to the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi, but received no response. He also wrote in the same regard to Indian President Pratibha Patil, and was similarly ignored. He expressed disappointment over what he described as indifference towards the issue by both sides.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2012.
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Dont be frustrated Mehboob Elahi.You are not along ,Babar Awan is also with you and soon you both have a big company of friends.
@F.A. Awan nice try to give an impression u r firdous awan from sialkot. Please elaborate on Faisal Abidi and Zardari jail connection
@Billoo Bhaya: Bull's eye
@F.A. Awan: I cannot but laugh on your comments. You are living in a fools paradise.
Our Prez. has no University Friends - for he never went to a University, like Monticello of Babar Awan fame. He went to Pak Govt Prisons where Politics, Spying and Corruption are taught as Specialties. So his friends are all class mates like Mehboob Elahi. He should have accommodated him during his trip for old times sake.
MR President is knows to be friends-of-friends, and he has proved it , eg: MR Faisal Raza Abidi , please accept our appologies on behalf of our beloved president... trust me he's the best thing happened to our country in last 64 years !