Jailed Pakistani does not want to go back

Alam, who arrived on month-long visa in 2012, says wants to die on Indian soil

APakistani man has refused to return to his homeland despite the expiry of his visa, saying he wants to die on Indian soil.

The man is currently in jail, awaiting the Indian government’s decision over his request to grant him Indian citizenship.

Police said Syed Naqi Alam had come to India on a monthlong visa in 2012, to meet his parents who are settled in Arwal town of Jehanabad district in central Bihar.

After meeting his parents, however, he developed an emotional bond with them and continued staying with the family despite his visa expiring.

Subsequently, police arrested him and sent him to jail for violating visa rules.

At present, he is being held at Kako Mandal jail, in Jehanabaqd district, yet he is happy to find himself close to the home of his parents, who visit him regularly.

“He doesn’t want to return to Pakistan. He wants to stay with us here and also die on Indian soil. We hope the Indian government will seriously consider his appeal and grant him Indian citizenship,” his wife Aasara Nigar told the media yesterday.