“Everything is beyond recognition, including my own house. So much has changed,” said a bewildered Kuldeep Yadav, seated inside a living room in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.
Yadav returned home on 25 August, after over 31 years in Pakistan – of which 26 years he had spent inside a Pakistani jail. In fact, from 2013 to 2022, he was not in touch with his family back home in India at all.
Yadav was convicted of espionage charges by a Pakistani Army court in 1996. The 59-year-old was awarded life imprisonment and sent to the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. Yadav said, “I was sent to Pakistan in 1991. I can’t tell you who sent me or why. In 1994, I was arrested by the Pakistani authorities and faced third-degree torture.”
Days after he returned home and was reunited with his family, The Quint met Yadav, who spoke about his time in prison, the irreparable loss of time and parents, the first good night's sleep in his own bed in 31 years, and learning how to use a mobile phone.
Welcomed With Garlands, Sweets, Balloons
On 24 June this year, the Pakistan Supreme Court ordered Yadav’s release within 15 days. Yadav said that the bureaucratic processes took some time and he was finally brought to the Wagah border in Punjab on 22 August.
“Apart from me, another prisoner Shambhu Nath was also issued an emergency passport by the Indian Embassy. We crossed the border to return to India at 1:30 pm and were handed over to the Indian authorities. I was taken into police custody, where I was told that I would not be released on my own. My brother paid for my bail and brought me home,” he said.
Back home in Ahmedabad, he was greeted with garlands and sweets by his sister, nieces, other relatives, and neighbours. A string of balloons was put up in the living room, along with the tricolour.
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Kuldeep Yadav was greeted with garlands and sweets by his relatives and neighours when he returned on 25 August.
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Kuldeep Yadav was greeted with garlands and sweets by his relatives and neighours when he returned on 25 August.
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Kuldeep Yadav was greeted with garlands and sweets by his relatives and neighours when he returned on 25 August.
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Kuldeep Yadav was greeted with garlands and sweets by his relatives and neighours when he returned on 25 August.
“When I got home, there were tears in my eyes. Tears of joy of being reunited with my loved ones,” said Yadav.
Since then, there has been a steady stream of relatives, friends, neighbours, and media persons at home.
Yadav is glad his brother accompanied him back home from the Amritsar police station because “everything has changed, and I would have had difficulty finding my own house if I was alone.”
Yadav has six siblings. The first few days and nights were spent catching up with them, reminiscing about childhood, and grieving over the loss of their parents.
Yadav’s father passed away 20 years ago, while his mother died 12 years ago. In 1991, when Yadav had left for Pakistan, little did he know that that would be the last time he will see their faces.
“Parents are the biggest wealth in the world. They sacrificed so much for me. I regret that I was not there with them when they breathed their last. I wish I had seen them one more time.”Kuldeep Yadav
‘I Served the Country for 30 Years, Now the Government Should Do Something for Me’
Yadav lives in Ahmedabad’s Chandkheda area with his sister and her children. The last few weeks have been busy with guests coming in almost every day but once that’s over, Yadav wonders what he will do.
“It is my fortune that I got the opportunity to serve the country but now my physical condition is such that I can’t do any work. Financially too, I have nothing. I have served the country for long, and it is my appeal to the government to help me, so that I can lead a dignified life,” he said.
He told The Quint that he is waiting for the Centre to help him. “No one has approached me yet or offered me any help. I am dependent on my brothers and sister, but how long can I be a burden on them?” he asked.
Yadav hopes the government will provide him with a piece of land, a vehicle, and some money so that he can “live properly.”
At home, he is flanked by his brother Dilip Kumar Yadav, a retired Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, and their sister Rekha, who is currently working with the BSF.
Rekha told The Quint, “Our brother did not go to Pakistan for leisure. In a way, he was on duty till the day he returned home. It is our appeal to the government to give what is his right. If the government does not do anything, we will consider what steps to take.”
‘Prayed and Hoped Daily To Be Reunited With Family While in Prison’
The house in Ahmedabad now reverberates with joy, happy tears, and old stories. Yadav is getting reacquainted with some relatives, and meeting many for the first time ever.
But when the house goes silent, he recalls the 26 years he spent at the prison in Lahore – always praying and hoping to be reunited with his homeland and his family.
“There are 28 other Indian prisoners in the Kot Lakhpat jail In Lahore and most have lost their mental balance because of the torture. Some can’t even recall their names or addresses,” he claimed.
Yadav appealed to the Indian government to take steps to bring them back to India. He recalled his own time there, and said, “I kept myself fit and mentally healthy. Every time I was down, I motivated myself, and placed my faith in god. I always believed that andheri raat ke baad subah toh hogi hi. I believed that one day with god’s grace I will be free too. So, I took care of myself.”
It wasn’t always easy to stay motivated though. Yadav said he contracted various diseases while in jail and feared that he would be unable to return home to his parents.
“No work was assigned to us inside prison but I kept myself busy with cleaning and gardening. I would also make bangles with beads to pass time,” he recalled.
‘An Indian Inmate Was Killed in Jail, I Feared the Same Would Happen to Me’
While in jail, Yadav came in touch with Sarabjit Singh, a fellow Indian who was convicted of terrorism and spying by a court in Pakistan and sentenced to death.
“I developed a good friendship and a brotherly relationship with Sarabjit. We would meet every fortnight in the jail,” said Yadav.
In 2013, however, Singh was allegedly attacked by inmates leaving him grievously injured. He slipped into a coma and succumbed a few days later. The incident sparked a major diplomatic row between India and Pakistan.
“It was after this that the jail authorities segregated Indian and Pakistani prisoners, and also prohibited correspondence between Indian inmates and their families,” claimed Yadav.
Media reports said at the time that Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails were also segregated apprehending a backlash to Sarabjit’s killing.
“Earlier I could write to my brothers and sisters and I also received letters from them. We could keep in touch, but after Sarabjit was killed, the facility was stopped. Phone facility was also not available to us,” recalled Yadav.
From 2013 to 2022, Yadav’s family had no idea about his well-being. His brother Dilip said, “We feared that what happened with Sarabjit may happen with our brother or another Indian prisoner there. So, we avoided the media for a decade just to ensure their chances of returning are not hampered.”
First Night in Own Home in 30 Years
“The moment I sat on the bed on my first night home, it felt so different. I do not have words to describe it. I slept only for a few hours but it was a very good sleep,” said Yadav, with a smile on his face.
When not entertaining media persons, Yadav spends his time learning how to operate a mobile phone from his nephews and nieces. “I am currently learning how to go from one application to another,” he said, with a laugh.
Yadav never got married. Looking back, he said, it was the right call to take. “Otherwise, the burden of my wife and children would have fallen on my family in my absence,” he said.
Ever since his return, his family has been trying to feed him special dishes one after the other, he said. “But I told them that I can only eat simple food – sprouts for breakfast, and roti-sabzi and dal-rice for lunch and dinner,” he said.
The spare time Yadav has, he spends trying to find out about relatives and friends. He calls them “normal talks" – ones he missed out on all these years.
“We talk about family, about uncles, and aunts. Who are alive and who is not? We also talk about the children, what they are studying, and what they plan to become in life,” he said.
Now back home, Yadav said he feels like “a bird that can finally fly after it is freed from a cage… It is as if I have found heaven.”
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