The continuing account of Mohanlal Bhaskar's espionage missions explores the perilous phase when the former teacher fell into the hands of Pakistani military intelligence. Having crossed the border multiple times previously, his seventeenth entry into Pakistan proved fateful when he encountered Amrik Singh, an agent who had already been compromised by Pakistani handlers. Upon reaching Lahore, Amrik and his associates cornered Mohanlal in a hotel room, held him at gunpoint, and transported him directly to the 596 Field Interrogation Unit in Lahore Cantonment.
Brutal Interrogation and Severe Torture at Military Facilities
Inside the military interrogation facility, Major Ejaz Maqsood interrogated Mohanlal about a confidential file allegedly taken from the Atomic Energy Commission. When Mohanlal denied any knowledge, the Major ordered his subordinates to subject him to extreme physical punishment. Stripped of his clothing and pinned down on a wooden plank, he was beaten mercilessly with a heavy tree branch until he lost consciousness. Subsequent torture sessions involved hanging him from the ceiling by his wrists, heavy beatings across his body, sleep deprivation, and having a harsh chemical poured directly into his eyes by an interrogation doctor.
Imprisonment at Lakpat Jail and Encounters with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Following prolonged confinement in harsh interrogation cells, Mohanlal was transferred to Lahore's remote Lakpat Jail, where inmates survived on meager rations of dry rotis and watery lentils. One midnight, the prison erupted in intense slogans and protests as political figures including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed the inmates through loudspeakers, promising future freedom once a new government assumed power. Despite these fleeting moments of hope, the cruelty inflicted upon Mohanlal continued unabated, with guards frequently shifting him between facilities and subjecting him to exhaustive sleep deprivation tactics.
Court Martial, Death Sentence, and Conversion to Imprisonment
A summary court martial eventually found Mohanlal guilty of espionage and sentenced him to death, transferring him to the condemned cell where prison staff routinely divided executed inmates' belongings. In an act of extreme defiance and despair, he tore apart his clothing and pulled out every hair from his beard and moustache manually. A subsequent Field General Court Martial later commuted his death sentence to fourteen years of rigorous imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act, a verdict that brought him immense relief.
The Long Awaited Repatriation at the Wagah Border
The outbreak of the 1971 war and the subsequent signing of the Simla Agreement by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto laid the groundwork for prisoner exchanges, though the actual release took years to materialize. Finally, on December 9, 1974, a group of thirty Indian prisoners was transported to the Wagah border amidst large crowds, drum beats, and heavy security. When his name was called out, Mohanlal shouted slogans praising Mother India, crossed the frontier, and embraced his aging father in an emotional reunion.
