LOVE SANS FRONTIERS
THE WEEK India|March 12, 2023
An Andhra woman is fighting for the release of her Pakistani husband from jail.Supporting her are relatives and friends on both sides of the border
RAHUL DEVULAPALLI
LOVE SANS FRONTIERS

Among the hundreds of inmates in Hyderabad's biggest prison, the Cherlapally Central Jail, is a Pakistani citizen- Shaik Gulzar Massih, alias Gulzar Khan. A native of Kulluwal village in Pakistan's Punjab province, Gulzar, 55, has been in jail for more than a year. His release remains uncertain, but one woman each on either side of the India-Pakistan border is desperately awaiting it.

One of the women is Sheela Lal, a paramedic who lives in Rawalpindi and works in Islamabad. Gulzar is her younger brother, one of her seven siblings.

Sheela had been trying to track him down since 2010, when he disappeared from Saudi Arabia without a trace. The family had been clueless whether he was dead or alive. "My mother cried so much that it ruined her health," Sheela told THE WEEK on phone.

Gulzar hails from a Christian family. His father, Lal Khan, was a shepherd. He died when the children were still young. Sheela and her sister were sent to missionary institutions for higher education, while Gulzar dropped out of school and went to Sialkot. The city was a sports goods manufacturing hub; he joined a factory that made footballs.

Sheela said Gulzar disliked the job and sought money from the family to move to Saudi Arabia. "My mother had to sell land to sponsor his journey," she said.

Gulzar landed in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and became a house painter. He would wire money and call the family regularly, but became cool and distant as the years went by. Then he vanished.

The family tried contacting him though his employer and colleagues, but they did not know his whereabouts. "Nobody knew where he went," said Sheela. "We pooled money and sent a brother to Saudi Arabia to find him. He came back empty-handed after two years," said Sheela. The family thought Gulzar was dead.

In January 2011, Gulzar appeared in Gadivemula, a nondescript village in Andhra Pradesh, and met Daulat Bee, a widow and mother of one.

Denne historien er fra March 12, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 12, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE WEEK INDIASe alt
Pressure Points
THE WEEK India

Pressure Points

Author and MP Shashi Tharoor and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das on how to find healing and meaning in today's world

time-read
2 mins  |
November 10, 2024
War Over Wounded Earth
THE WEEK India

War Over Wounded Earth

For the BJP andthe Congress, the ravaged farmlands of Vidarbha represent a cxitieal battleground in their larger struggle to win Maharashtra

time-read
9 mins  |
November 10, 2024
Say no to continual elections
THE WEEK India

Say no to continual elections

Following the recommendations of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind to streamline the widely scattered schedule of national, state and local elections, the Union cabinet has reportedly approved two constitutional amendment bills for likely introduction in Parliament. Predictably, the return of the ‘one nation, one election’ issue to news has set off a flurry of objections by several opposition leaders.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 10, 2024
Fabulously, fashionably funny
THE WEEK India

Fabulously, fashionably funny

The third season of the Karan Johar-produced Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives dropped on Netflix, but articles criticising the show appear in some news site or the other almost daily. If it is so bad, why keep writing about it? And if it is so bad, why would the superpowers at Netflix, who are harder to meet than the prime minister, commission the show season after season?

time-read
2 mins  |
November 10, 2024
All in the family
THE WEEK India

All in the family

The Chitaras have been passing down the secret art of Mata Ni Pachedi through generations for more than 400 years now

time-read
6 mins  |
November 10, 2024
Raise a toast to Vidya Balan
THE WEEK India

Raise a toast to Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is a New Year baby. At 45, she is aglow in the most beautiful way, having won the hearts and admiration of countless fans across the world, who watched the supremely talented actor take a public tumble on stage at a high-profile promotional event recently, sharing the platform with no less a dancer than the eternally graceful Madhuri Dixit.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 10, 2024
Death no bar
THE WEEK India

Death no bar

Being alive is not a legal requirement to be elected president of the United States

time-read
2 mins  |
November 10, 2024
The Lotus POTUS
THE WEEK India

The Lotus POTUS

You should visit us one of these days— there is so much excitement in our USA! No, I don’t mean the famous USA—the Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association of Mumbai.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 10, 2024
RAY OF HOPE
THE WEEK India

RAY OF HOPE

Actor and cancer survivor Lisa Ray talks to oncologist Dr Jame Abraham about inner strength and her surrogacy journey

time-read
5 mins  |
November 10, 2024
LEVERAGE AI TO ENHANCE WORK
THE WEEK India

LEVERAGE AI TO ENHANCE WORK

AT THE WEEK Health Summit, Siddharth Bagga, head (retail, CPG and health care), Google Cloud, elaborated on the significant work that Google has been doing in health care through artificial intelligence (AI).

time-read
2 mins  |
November 10, 2024