Two Indian citizens who illegally travelled to Karachi last week have asserted that they would rather go to jail in Pakistan than go back to their own country.
Identified as Mohammad Hasnain and Ishaq Ameer, the father and son want to seek asylum as their lives are threatened in India with increased religious extremism and Islamophobia, Karachi police have said.
Dawn spoke with Karachi Deputy Inspector General of Police (South) Asad Raza who stated that the two are not suspected spies, “but were considered victims of religious bias and persecution in India”.
For now, both the Indians have been sent to an Edhi Shelter home. According to IGP Raza, they seem to want to seek asylum here.
The duo also protested outside Karachi Press Club on September 25 against the Indian government and its persecution of Muslims.
“We are ready to go to jail but not back to India,” the police quoted them in a statement. “We will be killed as soon as we step on Indian land if we are deported.
“If you want to kill us, kill us in Pakistan. At least we will get some land (for burial). In India, we won’t even get that,”
The father-son also spoke with the media.
The two left New Delhi on September 5 for the UAE and approached Afghanistan embassy for a visa. They then travelled to Kabul followed by air travel to Kandahar where they spent a night.
Shedding light on the atrocities committed in India against Muslims and the lack of media coverage, Hasnain states that they are not the first ones to flee the country, stressing that many others have left before them but they could afford foreign citizenship in Europe, America, Britain, Germany, or Canada.
“Those who are well off migrated to Turkey, Azerbaijan, or Malaysia. I did not have that stature. I had less money,” he added.
They were not allowed to check in a hotel room in Karachi since they did not possess an identification card.
Hasnain’s son Ameer said that they directly went to the office of IG Sindh on reaching Orangi Town, Karachi.
“As soon as we reached there, we kept our baggage on the side, raised our hands, and said we are here to surrender.”
