KATHMANDU, Sept 1: Bal Bahadur Bhandari, who left Nepal 47 years ago, returned home on Monday. Bhandari, who had gone to India from Sitapur, Bardiya at the age of eight, has finally set his foot on the Nepali soil after an interval of 47 years.

Four years ago, Bal Bahadur was detained by the Pakistan Navy for illegally entering their territory. He had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) while fishing in Gujarat, India. Indian and Pakistani forces have been detaining each other's nationals if they cross the LoC. Along with a dozen Indian fishermen, Bhandari was also lodged in Karachi Jail (District Prison and Correctional Facility).

Although Bal Bahadur was a citizen of Nepal, unfortunately, he did not have any documents to prove his national identity. This delayed his release from Pakistan's prison. Also, he only knew his brother’s and father’s names and the place he was born in. The Nepali Embassy in Islamabad took initiatives to bring Bhandari home on the basis of this information. On Tuesday, he returned to his hometown Bardiya with his brother Guman Singh Bhandari

“After a gap of 47 years, I am really happy to be home,” Bhandari said.

 
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