Pakistan refuses to remit sentence of Indian national trapped in jail

India's external affairs ministry said today it is in touch with Pakistan after it refused to remit the sentence of Hamid Nehal Ansari, an Indian national who was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in 2016 by a military court in Pakistan on charges of espionage.

"We are in touch with the Pakistani authorities, will update after any further development," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told ANI.

Hamid Nehal Ansari initially went missing in Pakistan in 2012 after he when he crossed over from Afghanistan. In 2016, he reappeared in the custody of authorities who said he had been convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years imprisonment by a military court in December 2015.

Prison authorities have refused to approve Hamid Nehal Ansari's plea for remissions in his sentence. The petition filed by him now states that he will complete his term soon and therefore should be set free when that happens. However, jail authorities reject this and claim remission rules do not apply to him, claiming he was charged and convicted for anti-state activities.

A remission or a shortening of a sentence is usually given to prisoners in lieu of good behaviour.

Ansari’s petition will be heard on November 1.

His lawyer, Qazi Mohammad Anwar says that since Ansari was not involved in anti-state activity, remission should be granted.

Mr Anwar met Ansari last month at Mardan Central Jail and says the Indian national is in good health and hopeful about justice.

Ansari had come to Pakistan because of a love affair over the Internet.

The girl's family complained toauthorities that he was travellingillegally, leading to his arrestin 2012. However, his arrest was not shown officially until 2016, when the authorities told the courts that he had been tried for espionage at a military court.

A female journalist Zeenat Shahzadi investigating his case in 2015 had also gone missing after she had approached the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances over Hamid’s alleged abduction. Her kidnappingtook place a few days before she had to appear before the commission in the complaint regarding Mr Ansari. Such disappearances are now a routine in Pakistan.

Zeenat was recently recovered but no one has been accountable for her disappearance. Human rights activist feel it is impossible to punish those responsible.