In a display of humanitarian benevolence, India on Monday sent back a Pakistani ship master almost a month after he was rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and hospitalised in a medical emergency in Visakhapatnam.

Official sources told IANS that Pakistani shipmaster Captain Badar Hasnain, son of Khurshid Hussian, was evacuated by the Indian Coast Guard on July 13 after he suffered a heart attack on the vessel en route Gopalpur in Odisha.

The Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Chennai, responded to the request for emergency medical care and the ship was diverted to Visakhapatnam.

He was hospitalised at the Queens NRI hospital in Vishakhapatnam for medical treatment and after almost a month of care, he recovered and expressed his intent to return.

Sources said he was flown from Visakhapatnam to Bengaluru and finally to Amritsar on Monday. From Amritsar, he travelled to Attari by road. Through the entire air and road travel from Visakhapatnam to Attari, he was accompanied by an Indian attendant, Sunder Rajan Bala.

Captain Hasnain reached Attari in the evening and crossed over the international border to Pakistan.

The whole mission of Captain Hasnain's return to Pakistan via Wagah border was facilitated by the Ministry of External Affairs. The ministry coordinated with Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, the Rangers, the immigration and health authorities for necessary arrangements at Wagah border.
(IANS)