New Delhi: When was the last time you heard of a Pakistani approaching the Indian Army for help? Well there you have ex-sepoy Mohammad Boota knocking the doors of Army Headquarters in New Delhi.A World War-II veteran of the British Indian Army who moved to Pakistan after the Partition, Boota says he was framed in a murder case. His grandson was murdered and his family has been continuously persecuted in his homeland. "They've threatened to kill my great grandson if we don't withdraw the murder charge,” says Boota.
Driven by the desire to take his great grandson out of harm's way from his native Sialkot in Pakistan, Boota believes that the Indian Army will accept him as a fellow foot soldier who once fought by their side and lend a helping hand. "I was recruited for India. Pak did not even exist. I fought for India. I come here hoping I'll be helped,” he says.
But is Boota betraying Pakistan?
"I don't consider India an enemy,” Boota says. He is nostalgic about the Indian Army's Burma campaign in World War-II, during which he was also taken prisoner of war.
Mohammad Boota's sense of affiliation with the Indian Army transcends the obvious boundaries. And it is remarkable that when he seeks justice against all odds, it is the Indian Army he turns to, regarding it as his parent organisation.
Boota wants help for a visa for his great grandson Suleman so that he can travel with him to his adopted country, Britain. But is Boota living in a time warp? He says he's in New Delhi, driven by memories of an Army, which gives it troops, a fair hearing.