Punjab truck driver sentenced to death in Saudi drug case; family seeks urgent intervention from Indian govt

PTC Web Desk: A truck driver from Pathankot in Punjab has reportedly been sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court in a drug-related case. Back home, his family, which is completely devastated,  has sought urgent intervention from the Indian government.

The family of Baljinder, who has been working as a truck driver in Dubai for around a decade, claims that he was unaware that drugs had allegedly been placed inside a medicine packet he was asked to carry to Saudi Arabia.

According to his family, the packet was given to him by an acquaintance who claimed it contained medicines for his seriously ill father.

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How Baljinder was arrested

Baljinder’s family said he regularly drove between Dubai and Saudi Arabia while transporting goods. Around three years ago, an acquaintance working in Dubai allegedly approached him and requested that he take a packet to Saudi Arabia. The man reportedly said the package contained medicines for his elderly father.

Baljinder’s father, Jaswinder Singh, said his son initially refused the request twice because he did not know what was inside the package.

However, the family claims the acquaintance later showed Baljinder a video of his ailing father and requested his help. Moved by the elderly man’s condition, Baljinder allegedly agreed to carry the package as a humanitarian gesture.

The packet was reportedly detected during scanning at the Dubai-Saudi border. A subsequent search allegedly led authorities to recover a suspected narcotic substance from inside the medicine packaging.

Baljinder was then arrested by the Saudi authorities and remained in custody for nearly three years. His family now says a Saudi court has sentenced him to death.

Family denies drug trafficking allegations

Baljinder’s family has strongly denied that he was involved in drug trafficking or any other criminal activity. They describe him as an Amritdhari Sikh who regularly follows his religious practices and maintain that he had no connection with drugs.

The family alleges that Baljinder was unknowingly caught in a situation created by the person who gave him the package. They say he had no idea that the packet allegedly contained a prohibited substance.

Wife, children and elderly parents left behind

Baljinder’s family lives in Sujanpur and includes his elderly parents, wife and two children. According to the family, he was the primary earning member and had been supporting the household through his work as a truck driver in Dubai.

The family has appealed to both the Punjab government and the Centre, particularly the Ministry of External Affairs, to intervene in the case.

They are seeking legal and diplomatic efforts with Saudi authorities to review the matter and request that the death sentence be commuted.

The family has also urged the Indian government to make every possible effort to secure Baljinder’s safe return to India.