Letter From Pakistan: UP Families Finally Hear From Sons Lodged In Karachi Jail For 5 Years
Last Updated:
The victims claimed that Pakistani officials were ready to release them but awaited necessary formalities from the Indian side to facilitate their return
A wave of deep emotions surged through Dhausad village in the Tindwari police station area of Banda district, Uttar Pradesh, when the family of Chand Babu and his friend Laxman, who have been imprisoned in Karachi jail in Pakistan for the last five years, received a letter from them.
The arrival of the letter from Pakistan took the villagers by surprise. As soon as the letter reached their home, the family was overwhelmed with mixed emotions of happiness and sorrow.
The letter, delivered by two fishermen recently released from a Gujarat jail, contained an appeal from Chand Babu and Laxman to Indian leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, urging the Government of India to ensure their release and bring them back home.
The letter revealed that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had declared them innocent and ordered their release in 2023, but there had been no formal response from the Indian government. The victims indicated that Pakistani officials were willing to release them but required the completion of formalities from the Indian side to facilitate their return.
The receipt of the letter brought a wave of happiness to the family, yet concerns about their return persist. According to reports, the family is pleading with the Indian government to bring them back.
According to Jageshwar, a family member, the boat carrying Chand Babu and Laxman had reached the Pakistan border due to strong winds, leading to their arrest by the Pakistani Army. Despite appeals to various authorities, including the District Magistrate and the Foreign Ministry, no concrete results have been achieved so far.
The incident occurred five years ago when Chand Babu and Laxman went to Gujarat for fishing. The strong winds pushed their boat across the Pakistan border, resulting in their arrest by the Pakistani army.
First Published:
June 03, 2025, 19:35 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
OpenAI finds more Chinese groups using ChatGPT for malicious purposes
OpenAI is seeing an increasing number of Chinese groups using its artificial intelligence technology for covert operations, which the ChatGPT maker described in a report released Thursday. While the scope and tactics employed by these groups have expanded, the operations detected were generally small in scale and targeted limited audiences, the San Francisco-based startup said. Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, there have been concerns about the potential consequences of generative AI technology , which can quickly and easily produce human-like text, imagery and audio. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2 Simple Profitable Strategies That Can Make You 5K Per Day thefutureuniversity Learn More OpenAI regularly releases reports on malicious activity it detects on its platform, such as creating and debugging malware, or generating fake content for websites and social media platforms. In one example, OpenAI banned ChatGPT accounts that generated social media posts on political and geopolitical topics relevant to China, including criticism of a Taiwan-centric video game, false accusations against a Pakistani activist, and content related to the closure of USAID. Live Events Some content also criticised US President Donald Trump 's sweeping tariffs, generating X posts, such as "Tariffs make imported goods outrageously expensive, yet the government splurges on overseas aid. Who's supposed to keep eating?". Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories In another example, China-linked threat actors used AI to support various phases of their cyber operations , including open-source research, script modification, troubleshooting system configurations, and development of tools for password brute forcing and social media automation. A third example OpenAI found was a China-origin influence operation that generated polarized social media content supporting both sides of divisive topics within U.S. political discourse, including text and AI-generated profile images. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on OpenAI's findings. OpenAI has cemented its position as one of the world's most valuable private companies after announcing a $40 billion funding round valuing the company at $300 billion.
India Today
30 minutes ago
- India Today
How Tharoor hit Trump, Rahul Gandhi with a single stone on ceasefire
Diplomacy is like the proverbial tip of the iceberg. What is visible to the public is just 10% of what takes place behind closed doors. And US President Donald Trump, with his bull-in-a-China-shop approach, is a diplomat's nightmare. There is a big reason why the Indian government hasn't vociferously junked Trump's claims of having mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the mini-war in May. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor made that public, albeit with the skills of a former diplomat that he most American presidents, Trump has been big on claims and short on action. This has led to him being mocked as Taco -- Trump always chickens out. However, the flying taco leaves an imprint wherever it claim of having brokered a ceasefire was lapped up by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who used it to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Trump made one gesture from there (the US), picked up the call and said 'Modiji, what are you doing? Narender surrender'. And Modiji said 'yes sir' and followed Trump's instructions," Rahul said in Bhopal on June was less than a month ago that India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). The May 7 strike saw Pakistan attack military and civilian areas in India with missiles and swarm of drones. India retaliated by targeting military infra deep inside Pakistan and left its forces May 10, as Trump made a surprise announcement on Truth Social -- the US had mediated a ceasefire between the two announced that the pause to the war came about after the Pakistani DGMO called up his Indian counterpart, raising the white Rahul Gandhi and his Congress have chosen to go with Trump, who also spoke about trade in the same has repeatedly, but prudently, stated that Trump didn't play any role in the ceasefire and that the pause came about with discussions between the two warring question is, why hasn't India vociferously rejected Trump's claims?The short answer is -- diplomacy happens behind closed doors and isn't a shouting ties are bigger than a property dealer-turned-politician's ego. Similarly, messaging for the nation, in which Shashi Tharoor is currently engaged, is not about the ego-massaging of a political is leading a multi-party team to the US to put forth India's stance on Operation Sindoor and the compulsion that forced it to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan."Do you think India has been firm enough to the constant mediation claim by Trump? It is the same question that your party continues to ask back home," Tharoor was asked in the yesterday, the leader of your party, Rahul Gandhi, said Modi surrendered to President Trump," the person asking made the backdrop with a loud laugh, Tharoor strongly reiterated India's stand -- India didn't ask anyone for mediation."All I can say is that I have enormous respect for the American Presidency and the American President. All we can say for ourselves is that we have never particularly wanted to ask anyone to mediate," Tharoor who has seen all shades of global diplomacy during his stint in the United Nations, including as the Under-Secretary-General of the UN, made clear India had clear priorities and didn't want to "jeopardise" ongoing India-US talks by countering Trump on a "matter of detail"."We have enormous respect for the US, and we have a much more important, valuable, and strategic partnership with Washington that we would not want to jeopardize over a matter of detail. We are cooperating in a number of areas and are interested in enhancing all of that. Small matters can be set aside so we can focus on tomorrow," said is amid ongoing India-US talks, where a trade deal could be finalised between the two countries soon. advertisementThe former diplomat killed two birds with one stone by calling Trump's ceasefire claims, and thereby Rahul Gandhi's political rhetoric, by trashing the issue as "small matter".Like Asaduddin Owaisi, who has been ferocious against Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack and used terms unlike anyone else to expose it, the suave Tharoor performed his national duty even as his own party tried to pull him Congress and Rahul Gandhi have been an exception in attacking the government at a time when the entire country stood united and bipartisan teams are representing Tharoor diplomatically sidestepped the political question, his colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora, addressed it."As far as the political question is concerned, I would like to extend my admiration for Dr Tharoor, whom I have known for a long time. He always puts country before party," said Deora, who is among the leaders in Rahul Gandhi's inner circle to have moved out of the Tharoor explained was a growing India's treading the line in not antagonising Trump, for Trump is like Jaykant Shikre of Singham, the bhi karne ka, Jaykant Shikre ke ego nahi hurt karne ka," is his pet statement in the is the Jaykant Shikre in the White House -- a mass of bloated ego -- and India, like Tharoor outlined, doesn't believe in a diplomatic hack is no denying that the government is answerable, and will be held accountable, but this might not be the right time. It isn't the time to bolster voices against the country that might be amped up by forces inimical to India's interests. This is the time to speak up in one voice as a nation. And Shashi Tharoor is one of the millions of such voices, stating the InMust Watch
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Sharmistha Panoli granted interim bail by Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to influencer Sharmistha Panoli , arrested for allegedly posting video on social media with communal comments. The court had denied bail to the student on Tuesday. Panoli, a 22-year-old Pune law student, was arrested in Gurugram by Kolkata Police on Friday night after a social media post allegedly containing derogatory remarks went viral. The video, posted on Instagram, triggered widespread backlash for allegedly insulting a religious community and the Prophet Muhammad, despite Panoli issuing an unconditional apology and removing the content. On Saturday, a Kolkata court sent Panoli to judicial custody till June 13. On May 14, she posted a video in response to a Pakistani social media user who had questioned India's stance following the Pahalgam terror attack. Live Events In the clip, she sharply criticised Bollywood celebrities for remaining silent on Operation Sindoor—a major military response following the attack. Panoli's video, initially intended as a political reaction, quickly spiralled into controversy. Several viewers, especially from Muslim communities in India and abroad, said she made offensive remarks about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The backlash was immediate and intense. Hashtags like #ArrestSharmistha began trending, and she reportedly received rape and death threats. Despite deleting the post and issuing an apology the following day, the situation had already escalated legally. She posted on social media on 15 May, 'I do hereby tender my UNCONDITIONAL APOLOGY. Whatever was put are my personal feelings and I never intentionally wanted to hurt anybody. So anybody is hurt, I'm sorry… Henceforth, I will be cautious in my public posts.' Multiple complaints were filed in Kolkata. Police say they attempted to serve legal notices to Panoli and her family, but she was allegedly untraceable. A senior police officer explained, 'The case pertains to an Instagram video by a woman named Sharmistha Panoli that hurt the religious sentiments of members of a particular community.' With no response to the notices, a court in Kolkata issued an arrest warrant. Panoli was detained in Gurugram and brought to Kolkata on transit remand. Police also seized her phone and laptop for forensic analysis, looking for evidence of further offensive or manipulated content. In response to criticism of the arrest, Kolkata Police stated, 'All legal procedures were duly adhered to. All attempts were made to serve notice, but she was found absconding on every occasion. Consequently, a warrant of arrest was issued by the competent court… We urge all concerned to refrain from spreading unverified or speculative content and to rely on authentic sources.'
