"I have seen a cell phone for the first time,'' said Kashmir Singh, who was amazed to see people chattering away into a hand-held electronic gadget. He asked a Pakistani journalist about the gadget after inspecting it with much interest and was bemused when told that it was a mobile phone. "I knew about the landline phone before going to jail but I am amazed that people can connect with this small gadget," he reportedly gushed.

Hope for Sarabjit

Dalbir Kaur, older sister of another Indian prisoner condemned to the gallows in Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh, was among the first to meet Kashmir Singh and Pakistan Interim Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney. While Burney promised her all possible help for Sarabjit's release, Kashmir said he knew Sarbjit as he was also lodged in Kot Lakhpat Rai jail. Dalbir hoped that with Kashmir's release the chances of her brother's freedom had also brightened.

Old friends

Many former friends of Kashmir Singh, some who have been in jail with him in Pakistan, thronged the Attari border . Some of them had been charged with spying in 1980s and 1990s. "I was with him in jail in 1986 and we used to spend time together," said Balwinder Singh, a school van driver and resident of Gausabad village near here. He rued that they were living in penury after being abandoned by the government.

TIGHT SECURITY

Seeing media's interest in the coverage of Kashmir Singh's homecoming, the Border Security Force had made elaborate security arrangements. Several barricades ensured that mediapersons jostled for the space when Kashmir walked down from Pakistan. The VIP movement with Punjab Cabinet Minister B.S.Majithia and G.S.Ranike coming to the spot added to the chaos. Border trade and the passengers' movement was also affected.

Thanks, Pak

Before leaving Pakistan, Kashmir Singh thanked the civil and security agencies on Pakistan side again and again and was seen embracing Pakistani Rangers. He said he had spent 35 years in Pakistan and was thankful to be freed at last. "Though the years in Pakistan were full of hardship, I am happy to be united with my family," he said.

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