English

Two or three years after Partition, it occurred to the governments of India and Pakistan that, like criminal offenders, lunatics too should be exchanged: that is, Muslim lunatics in Indian institutions should be sent to Pakistan, and Hindu and Sikh lunatics in Pakistani asylums should be handed over to India.

Whether the decision made sense or not was incomprehensible to ordinary mortals, but it was clear enough to the high-level personnel responsible for the administration of the two countries. At any rate, the decision was made, and a date was fixed for the exchange. High-level conferences were held, and various issues concerning the transfer were discussed.

On the day of the exchange, senior officials from the two sides arrived at the border with their respective lists to take charge of the lunatics. The transfer was to take place at the Wagah border crossing.

It was a cold winter morning, quite chilly, when the lunatics from the Lahore asylum were brought to the border in buses under police escort.