Search the Internet          Tips

Former spy wants to meet Musharraf

In the narrow streets of an obscure corner of Calcutta called Kolutala, waits a man.

And he awaits, just as the entire nation does, the arrival of Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf.

However, instead of red carpets and bouquets, Mehmood Elahi has only a question for Musharraf - "Why are Indian soldiers languishing in Pakistani jails even now?"

Having spent nearly two decades behind bars in Pakistan, he wants to plead the cause of countless Prisoners of War with Musharraf.

Elahi wants to meet Gen Musharraf and is collecting signatures from the citizens of Calcutta to back his cause.

Elahi joined the army as a Havildar in the army and later the Intelligence Bureau. He entered Pakistan as a spy in 1976.

"I was arrested because my colleague Aakash Lal Sharma double crossed me and reported me to the police," said Elahi.

Elahi was arrested 23rd June 1977 and it took him 19 long years to get his freedom.

Elahi had quite a few horror stories to narrate. He recalled how he was tortured.

"We were hung by the blades of ceiling fans and made to swirl with it as it was switched on. The water given to clean our cells and for drinking purposes was the same. There were other kinds of physical abuse, often barbaric. All this was a daily routine for us," Elahi said.

Most PoWs had been pushed to the brink of insanity with many not even remembering who they were or where they came from, Elahi said.

A visibly distraught Elahi narrated one an incident when he met about eight to 10 Sikh soldiers in the Hyderabad jail in Pakistan.

"Their hair had been cut off and they worked in the jail as sweepers. When I tried to talk to them in Punjabi they sensed something familiar, but little more as they had lost their memory. They had fought the 1965 and the 1971 wars."

"My request to Gen Musharraf is to unite these helpless people with their families, who are still eagerly waiting for their husbands, their fathers or their brothers to return home. The least they deserve is a peaceful death."

The condition of the PoWs has shaken him to such an extent that he has taken it upon himself to wage a battle to make the authorities realise the need for action.

A disillusioned Elahi laments the indifference that prevails among the younger generation in the country today and their ignorance of history.

He said none of the corporate houses offered any help for his endeavour. "Had I offered them a business deal, they would have given me better treatment," Elahi said.

"All I want is the release of the helpless inmates I have left behind. I hope my humble prayers would be answered," Elahi said.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report