Kashmiri Man Returns Home after Months in Saudi Detention
Amjad Ali Bhat reached home on Friday after being released and flown back to home by Saudi authorities.
Recalling the events that led to his detention, Amjad said he was working in Dammam when security personnel arrived at his workplace.
“I was at my workplace in Dammam March 25, when at least six security officers, one in uniform, took me for questioning, which they said would take two hours. I complied. They took me to a police station. There, they confiscated my passport and other IDs before asking me to sign an acknowledgement," he told TOI.
He said officials later questioned him about a Facebook post he had shared on March 5. “I said it was a condolence post, nothing more.”
After the questioning, Amjad said he was transferred to a detention center where he shared a small room with six other detainees. “When I asked them about the charges, they only responded that I’ll get to know later,” he said.
“Questioning sessions continued almost every other day. I had doubts whether I would ever be released. I wasn’t even allowed to speak to my family during my detention,” he added.
Amjad said he was informed on June 25 that he would be released and sent back home.
With no clarity over his whereabouts or legal status, his family launched a sustained effort to seek official intervention. They contacted the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, wrote to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, reached out to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and requested Jammu and Kashmir MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi to take up the matter.
While the Indian Embassy assured the family that it was pursuing the case and would communicate any updates, weeks passed without any fresh information, leaving them uncertain about Amjad’s fate.
Source: Times of India
