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JAIPUR: When Gajendra Sharma left home in 1982, he was 40 and the father of two sons. When he returns home to Jaipur after spending 36 years in a Pakistan jail, he will meet his six grandchildren and the rest of his extended family.

The labourer from Jaipur was traced to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore in May 2018, and will be released on August 13. Sharma’s family was informed about his release on Thursday by junior minister for external affairs V KSingh.

Sharma’s wife Makhani Devi and younger son Mukesh met Singh in Delhi on Thursday. “We were told that my father would be released from jail on August 13. We are praying he will back home or in the country to celebrate Independence Day,” said Mukesh.

The family is planning a mass feast once he reaches Jaipur. Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra said, “We learnt that he was jail in Pakistan from news reports in Punjab but we’re not sure what he was imprisoned for. The family approached me. He was initially jailed for two months in Pakistan, but as he could not get consular access, he had to spend 36 years there.”

