Indian prisoner back home after 35 years on Pak death row

Released Indian prisoner Kashmir Singh (C) crosses the Pakistan-India international border at the Wagah border post yesterday. The Indian man freed from a Pakistani jail after spending 35 years on death row for spying crossed the border for a long-awaited reunion with his family.Photo: AFP

An Indian man, freed by Pakistan after languishing on death row for suspected espionage for 35 years, was given a hero's welcome when he returned home Tuesday, witnesses and officials said.
Kashmir Singh, 61, waved to Pakistani journalists and well-wishers before walking across the border crossing between rivals India and Pakistan at Wagah in northern Punjab state to be greeted by his family and relatives.
"I am very happy today and want to go home as soon as possible," Singh -- dressed in a white shirt and camel-coloured trousers -- told reporters at the border post before crossing to the Indian side, where his wife and three children were waiting.
"I am grateful to the President of Pakistan for giving me a new life," he added, referring to the pardon Pervez Musharraf granted him last week after hearing of his case.