Indians in Greek jail all praise for fellow Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani inmates of a Greek prison who were crew of a detained ship won the hearts of their fellow Indian mates through their emotional support and kind conduct towards them. They have conceded in their talk in Mumbai on Monday and spoke high of fellow Pakistani’s demeanor in the prison. One of the Indians wanted to commit suicide due to distress, but Pakistani “colleagues” stopped him from venturing it.

According to a story appeared in Indian media along with the pictures of the detainees, gave account of the days of detention of the two neighbouring countries nationals which are passing through tense relations in the wake of Pulwama incident and subsequently Indian aggression by violating Pakistan’s airspace but responded befittingly.

The media has reported that displaying a rare but heartening example of cooperation and assistance between the two hostile neighbours, especially, after last month’s incidents that plunged to a new low. Five Indian sailors, who returned home after spending 14 months in a Greek jail, said it was Pakistani inmates who came to their help after their cargo ship was detained and they were subsequently jailed. “Whatever grudge we may hold against each other’s country, but when we meet each other in other countries, we (Pakistanis and Indians) understand each other very well. The two Pakistanis helped us a lot in every way,” crew member Bhupandar Singh said.

The sailors arrived in Mumbai a day earlier. Another Indian crew member Gagan Deep, who was not paid his salary for more than 20 months by the company ship, said that Pakistani inmates, although lodged in the jail, provided them emotional support when their ship MVA Andromeda was detained by the Greek coast guard on January 9, 2018, even though the cargo in question was only raw material for firecrackers.

Gagan, who hails from Bangalore, also informed that jail authorities told him that they were the first Indians brought here since 1953 when the jail was built. The other three Indians crew members are Rohtas Kumar, Jaideep Thakur, and Satish Patel. The ship has set assail from Turkey on January 6, 2018 and was headed for Djibouti when it was diverted by the Greek coast guard. The Indian crew members were not subjected to physical torture in any form, but Singh, who is a native of Gurdaspur, Punjab, revealed that he had to undergo mental agony especially when beef was served frequently. He said that “there were few times when I thought of ending my life. I am the only son of my parents, but I couldn’t be present at my sister’s wedding.” He was comforted by Pakistani inmates and helped him in great way.