New Delhi, August 7: Mumbai man Hamid Ansari who spent six years in Pakistan for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan, returned India last year. Paying ode to Sushma Swaraj and on her sudden demise, Ansari said, "I have a deep respect for her and she'll always stay alive in my heart. She was like a mother to me. After my return from Pakistan, she guided me to look ahead. It's a big loss for me." Hamid Ansari Meets Sushma Swaraj Day After His Repatriation to India From Pakistan Jail.

A military court awarded the Indian national three-year imprisonment in December 2015 after being slapped with charges of espionage and involvement in anti-state activities on him.

Check ANI tweet:

The former teacher at the Mumbai Management College went to Pakistan in 2012 to meet a woman whom he had befriended through social media. Hamid went missing after he was apprehended by the Pakistan intelligence agencies and local police from Kohat district in November 2012.

Watch Video- Sushma Swaraj Died Due to Cardiac Arrest

Both Hamid and his mother Fauzia Nehal Ahmed Ansari became emotional after meeting the former External Affairs Minister Swaraj after his repatriation. Fauzia even praised Swaraj for her efforts to bring back Hamid.

On January 13 the Peshawar High Court informed that Ansari was in the custody of Pakistani Army and was being tried by a military court. Meanwhile, Swaraj had in August 2016 asked Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad to seek Consular Access to Hamid.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2019 10:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).