Pakistani citizen, wishing to go to India for religious rituals, mysteriously disappears from Wagah border
February 26, 2025
Dr. Nirmala, from Mirpur Khas, Sindh province, Pakistan, claims that her brother Prakash has mysteriously disappeared from the Wagah border in Lahore while traveling to India to perform religious rituals.
Dr. Nirmala from Mirpur Khas district of Sindh has filed a complaint with the Punjab police that her brother was abducted by unknown persons while he was traveling to India along with other family members via the Wagah border in Lahore to attend religious rituals.
Dr. Nirmala has also filed a petition in the Sindh High Court for the recovery of her brother. The petition has requested that orders be issued to the authorities to recover her brother Prakash and present him in court.
The BBC tried to contact Lahore Cantt Police SPO Wais Qasim and FIA spokesperson Mahmood Khokhar to find out details about the mysterious disappearance of Pakistani citizen Prakash from the Wagah border, but did not receive any response from them.
What happened to Prakash’s mysterious disappearance?
According to Dr. Nirmala, her brother Prakash is married and has completed his intermediate education.
He said that some time ago, his brother participated in the World Health Organization’s polio campaign, while he is also involved in the cotton business and land ownership.
According to Dr. Nirmala, on the morning of February 21, she, along with her brother, mother, father, two sisters, nephew, and grandmother, were going to India to participate in the Kumbh Mela, an important religious festival of Hindus, and to take a bath in the Ganges River. For this, they reached the Wagah Border in Lahore.
He further said that after reaching the Wagah border, all the members of his family, one by one, went to the immigration counter to check all the travel documents and complete the immigration-related procedures, while his brother said that he would finally complete the immigration process so that they could check their luggage etc.
According to Dr. Nirmala, she too, along with other relatives, had gone to the Wagah border to bid farewell to her family.
He claims that when his brother went to the immigration room, some people suddenly came there and took Prakash’s passport and mobile phone and took him to another room.
According to Dr. Nirmala, she remained at the Wagah border until 4 pm, but her brother was told that there was some problem with his papers and that he was being checked.
According to him, despite all his efforts, when his brother could not be traced, he was forced to return to Mirpur Khas.
He said that this was not the first time his family had traveled to India to perform religious rituals.
“My parents have been there before, this is the third time they have gone to India for a religious pilgrimage, while their brother Prakash was going for the second time while his wife was still in Pakistan.”
What is said in the complaint filed with the Punjab Police?
Dr. Nirmala says that after her brother’s mysterious disappearance, she was not provided any help by the local security authorities and had to return to her native area to seek legal help in Prakash’s disappearance.
“In Lahore, I didn’t know what to do. The attitude of the people present there was also unsympathetic, so I immediately headed back to my hometown.”
She says, “After reaching here and consulting with my relatives, friends and lawyers, I have filed a complaint online with the Punjab Police and filed a writ petition in the Sindh High Court.”
The application number filed by Dr. Nirmala with the Punjab Police is 5903.
The petition submitted to the Punjab Police states that “My brother Prakash was first locked in a room at the Wagah border in Lahore by unknown persons and then taken away from there. Even after several days, there is no trace of my brother, we should be appeased.”
On the other hand, the writ petition filed in the Sindh High Court states that the Constitution of Pakistan protects the freedom of every person. No institution is allowed to imprison or detain anyone without any legal reason or without informing the courts.
The writ petition states that the petitioner’s brother was taken away by eight to ten unidentified men in plain clothes at the Wagah border, whose whereabouts are still unknown. The petitioner also contacted the concerned police station but no hearing has been held.
The writ petition states that the petitioner should be granted relief and the relevant authorities should be ordered to produce the petitioner’s brother in court.
‘Parents were sent away with false consolations’
A member of Dr. Nirmala’s family said, “We went to the Lahore-Wagah border to bid farewell to our loved ones with laughter. But upon reaching there, we were in a state of shock. We did not understand what to do or not to do.”
Dr. Nirmala said that upon hearing about her brother’s mysterious disappearance, her father said that he would return to Pakistan, while her mother’s condition was very bad.
“I gave everyone false comfort and told them to cross the border, perform religious rituals because they really wanted to, and everything else would be fine here and my brother would also arrive.”
Dr. Nirmala said, “Now my mother’s health has deteriorated. She was healthy in Pakistan, but the grief of her son in India has consumed her. My father always says that he wants to come back, we don’t feel like going there.”
Shuva Kachi, an activist working for minority rights in Pakistan, says that Prakash’s disappearance from the Wagah border is “painful” and “sad news.”
“Prakash is an educated and well-read young man. His entire family is well-known for their good name and social services in their area. They have never been involved in any crime or wrongdoing,” said Shawa Kachhi, chairman of Minority Rights Wing Pakistan, an organization working for the rights of minorities in Pakistan.
He said that the victim’s family and he themselves have contacted the authorities in Punjab as much as possible, but they have not received any response.
They also say that ‘Prakash was going to perform religious rituals with his parents, grandmother and sisters. Not only him, many people go to religious rituals every year and this is their right, which is recognized by the UN Charter.’
He says, “If Prakash has committed a crime and there is evidence, he should be presented in court, otherwise he should be handed over to his family.”
