CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — A 38-year-old farmer from Punjab’s Ferozepur district remains lodged in a Pakistani jail even after completing the sentence awarded by a local court there, his family said, urging the Central government to secure his immediate release.
Harpreet Singh, a resident of Hasteke village, was taken into custody by Pakistani authorities in August 2024 after he was allegedly swept across the border by strong currents of the Sutlej river while collecting fodder near Machhiwara, close to the international boundary.
According to family members, a Pakistani court sentenced Harpreet to one month in jail under the Pakistan Control of Entry Act, 1952, and imposed a fine that was paid soon after. Despite completing the sentence, he has not been released.
“He has already served the punishment given by the court, yet he continues to remain behind bars,” said Harpreet’s father, Joginder Singh. “There was no intention to cross the border. He was simply doing farm work when the river current carried him away.”
Joginder Singh said the family owns about seven acres of land in Hasteke village and leases another 10 acres near Machhiwara, where Harpreet had gone to collect green fodder at the time of the incident.
“We searched for him everywhere and even lodged a police complaint,” he said. “Weeks later, we received a call from Pakistani authorities informing us that he was in their custody.”
Family members said an FIR was registered against Harpreet on Nov. 1, 2024, at the Ganda Singh Wala police station in Pakistan under Sections 3 and 4 of the Pakistan Control of Entry Act. A judicial magistrate in Kasur sentenced him on Nov. 6, 2024, to one month’s imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3,000, which the family said was deposited through a lawyer.
Harpreet’s mother, Harjeet Kaur, said the prolonged detention has taken a heavy emotional toll.
“There was no crime, no wrongdoing,” she said. “Every day we wait, hoping he will come home.”
Harpreet’s wife, Mandeep Kaur, lives with their two children — a 13-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter — who continue to wait for their father’s return.
“My husband is innocent,” she said. “He completed his sentence months ago, but we have heard nothing about his release.”
The family said they have approached multiple authorities and appealed to the Central government to take up the matter through diplomatic channels.
