Repatriated Indian national Hamid Nihal Ansari, along with his mother, met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Wednesday. Ansari, a software engineer, returned home on Tuesday after spending six years in a Pakistani jail.
Ansari's mother Fauzia Nehal thanked the minister and the foreign ministry for their help in getting back her son and said: "Mera Bharat Mahaan, meri madam mahaan, sab madam ne hi kiya hai."
Ansari (33), a resident in Mumbai, was arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan, reportedly, to meet a girl he had befriended online. He was imprisoned in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015. His three-year jail term ended on December 15 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready.
Official sources said the decision to release Ansari was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi. "Welcome home, son!" tweeted MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, which was later retweeted by Swaraj.
Ansari was reunited with his family at the Attari-Wagah border on Tuesday evening. Fauzia said her son had no wrong intention while crossing the border.
"My son went with noble intentions. He had no bad intentions, but went missing and was later caught and framed. He shouldn't have gone without a visa. His release is a victory for humanity," she was quoted as saying.