PANAJI, May 11: Nine Pakistanis who were detained in Goa by the local authorities for illegal entry and drug offences have been set free recently, after 22 months of captivity.

They were the members of an Arab dhow which was intercepted by Coast Guard near Karwar in July 1995. It is not clear with what intention the nine Pakistanis had come to India.

The Revenue Intelligence had suspected that they were drug smugglers and filed a case against them under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The Goa Government also had issued detention orders against them for one year for illicit drug traffic and the Mormugao Harbour police had arrested them for illegally entering Indian territory.

However the charges against them under the NDPS Act in the Mapusa NDPS court could not stand and they were discharged and the detention order issued against them by the State Government was quashed by the High Court. Still the nine Pakistanis could not gain their way to freedom since the State Government had filed an appeal against the Mapusa NDPS Court in the Supreme Court.The change in the fortune of the nine Pakistanis came after the Government at the higher level at the Centre ordered their repatriation as a gesture of goodwill and the State Government responded by withdrawing its appeal in the Supreme Court.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.