Finally, a swing in soldiers’ favour

The assurance came on Tuesday when Maj Gen Youssaf spoke to his Indian counterpart Lt Gen Amrik Bahia over the hotline.

But freedom will go only a small way towards redressing the injustice done to the two men who — as reported by The Sunday Express — were declared deserters by their regiment.

Apart from carrying this tag of shame while they were locked up inside a Pakistani prison, the two men were deprived of their salaries and benefits, which would have helped support their struggling families.

Army chief, Gen N C Vij, has now ordered that the label of deserter be expunged and their benefits restored with effect from June 1. He has also asked for interim relief to be given to the families. The money is being forwarded to Jagsir’s mother and wife, sources said.

But Arif’s family may have to wait as those closest to him when he was imprisoned are no longer around to collect the benefits. His mother died last year while his wife, whom he had known for just ten days, has remarried.

Although the Army realises that these wounds can never heal, it is now going all out to ensure that no one mistakes these heroes for deserters. The Army will organise functions in the villages of the two soldiers — in Mukhtsar and Meerut — to greet them on their return and to signal that they were captured in line of duty and did not desert their posts. While the formalities are ironed out, the Indian DGMO has received an assurance from his Pakistani counterpart that the soldiers will be granted consular access. This means that they will be able to send letters to their families through the Indian mission in Islamabad. In return, Pakistan is pressing for the release of one of its soldiers, Salim Ali Shah, who is in Amritsar jail, and three civilians in a Jammu and Kashmir prison.