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India Sarabjit Dies In Lahore Hospital

Inderjeet Kaur

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Oct 13, 2011
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Seattle, Washington, USA
Sarabjit dies in Lahore hospital, India asks Pak
to punish his attackers

sarabjit-singh.jpg


LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh died of cardiac arrest in a Lahore hospital in the wee hours on Thursday after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by fellow inmates in a high-security Pakistani jail, officials said.

"I received a call from the doctor on duty (at Jinnah Hospital) at 1am (1:30 IST) informing me that Sarabjit is no more," Mahmood Shaukat, the head of a medical board that was supervising 49-year-old Sarabjit's treatment, told.

Another doctor, who was part of the team treating Sarabjit, said he died of cardiac arrest, adding that doctors made several unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate him.

Officials of the Indian high commission in Islamabad said they had been informed by officials of Jinnah Hospital about Sarabjit's death.

Sarabjit sustained severe injuries when at least six prisoners attacked him in a barrack at Kot Lakhpat Jail on Friday, hitting him on the head with bricks.

Sarabjit was convicted of alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990 and spent about 22 years in Pakistani prisons.

His family, who had just returned to India after visiting him in Jinnah hospital, always insisted Sarabjit was innocent and he had inadvertently strayed across the border in an inebriated state.

His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former President Pervez Musharraf.

The previous Pakistan People's Party-led government put off Sarabjit's execution for an indefinite period in 2008.

Sarabjit's heart was beating "but without brain function" because of the extensive head injuries he sustained during the assault. He was completely unresponsive and unable to breathe without ventilator support.

Shaukat said authorities were yet to decide on conducting an autopsy on Sarabjit's body.

Asked whether the autopsy would be done after getting permission from the government, he said: "At the moment I have no idea.

No decision had been made about handing over the body to Sarabjit's kin or to Indian authorities, Shaukat said.

"These matters will be worked out according to the directions from the government," he said.

The official sources in Lahore had yesterday said Sarabjit had slipped into a "non-reversible" coma and this could lead to "brain death".

His measurements on the Glasgow Coma Scale, which indicates the levels of consciousness and damage to a person's central nervous system, had dropped to a "critical level", the sources said.

Police have booked two death row prisoners? Amer Aftab and Mudassar ? for the attack on Sarabjit. They reportedly told investigators that they had attacked Sarabjit because he had allegedly carried out bomb attacks in Lahore.

No action has been taken so far against officials of the jail for failing to provide adequate security to Sarabjit.

Following the rapid deterioration in Sarabjit's condition, New Delhi had requested that he be immediately released so that he could be treated in India or a third country.

Pakistan had said it was "positively considering" the request to repatriate Sarabjit.

India asks Pak to punish his attackers

NEW DELHI: Asserting that Sarabjit Singh’s death was a killing of an Indian citizen while in the custody of Pakistan jail authorities, India on Thursday demanded that Pakistan conduct a through probe into the incident to ensure that those who are responsible were punished.

It also said that the shocking attack on Sarabjit highlights the needs of concerted action by Pakistan to safeguard Indians in Pakistani jails.

“We express great anguish at the demise of Sarabjit Singh who succumbed to injuries after the brutal attack on him in Kot Lakhpat Jail. This was, put simply, the killing of our citizen while in the custody of Pakistan jail authorities. We demand that the government of Pakistan conducts a through investigation to identify those who were responsible, and to ensure that they are punished,” Ministry of External Affairs said today in a release here.

The Ministry also said that it shares the pain and sorrow of Sarabjit’s family and has asked has the Pakistani authorities to release his body so that he can be given a funeral in Indian and among his own people.

Sarabjit, 49, died of cardiac arrest in a Lahore hospital in the wee hours today after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by fellow inmates in the high-security Pakistani jail.

Sarabjit sustained severe injuries when at least six prisoners attacked him in a barrack at Kot Lakhpat Jail on Friday, hitting him on the head with bricks. — PTI

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130502/latest-news.htm
 
Jan 6, 2005
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Sarabjit will be given state funeral, Punjab CM Badal says

PTI - May 2, 2013, 04.49 PM IST

CHANDIGARH:
Describing Sarabjit Singh as a "national martyr", Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday said that the Indian death row prisoner, who died in Pakistan, will be given a state funeral.

49-year-old Sarabjit's death was an "entirely avoidable tragedy", Badal said while strongly condemning the "inhuman treatment and brutal murder" of the prisoner right under the nose of the Pakistani authorities.

Expressing shock and grief over his death in a Lahore hospital after battling for his life for nearly a week, Badal said that Sarabjit is a "national martyr who suffered unspeakable repression and torture with dignity".

He will be given a state funeral, the chief minister told reporters here.

Badal said that the Punjab government will provide government jobs to Sarabjit's two daughters. "We will also stand by the family for whatever help they need".

A special chartered plane is scheduled to bring Sarabjit's body to Amritsar from Lahore, the Chief Minister said, adding that the mortal remains along with his family members will be flown by a chopper to their village, Bikhiwind, for the last rites.

The government will move a resolution in the Punjab Assembly to condole the death of Sarabjit, he said.

Coming down heavily on the handling of the case by the central government, Badal said, "This is gross diplomatic failure and a sign of weakness on the part of Union government. Nations are run with a degree of strength of will, which is so missing in this government.

"We have this very sad feeling that the Government of India failed to articulate the national sentiment on Sarabjit and did not even take the necessary diplomatic initiative at a level where it was called for."

Sarabjit died of cardiac arrest in a Lahore hospital in the wee hours today after being comatose following a brutal assault by fellow inmates in a high-security Pakistani jail on Friday last.

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...Punjab-CM-Badal-says/articleshow/19835465.cms


_________________________________________________________________________________________

2 May 2013 Last updated at 09:33 ET

India demands justice over 'spy' Sarabjit Singh's death

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has demanded those responsible for the death in a Pakistani jail of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian man convicted of spying, be brought to justice.

Sarabjit Singh died after being attacked with bricks by other inmates in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail on Friday.

He had been sentenced to death by a court in Pakistan in 1991.

Sarabjit Singh's body is expected to arrive in India in the evening on a specially chartered plane.

His family are reported to be waiting for the plane in the city of Amritsar, in the northern state of Punjab, his home state.

A state funeral is due to take place on Friday.

A six-member medical panel has carried out an autopsy at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore.

'Brave son of India'

In a statement, Manmohan Singh called Sarabjit Singh "a brave son of India" and said the attack was "barbaric".

"It is particularly regrettable that the government of Pakistan did not heed the pleas of the government of India, Sarabjit's family and of civil society in India and Pakistan to take a humanitarian view of this case," he added.

Sarabjit Singh fell into a coma and died at 01:00 on Thursday morning (20:00 Wednesday GMT) in Lahore's Jinnah hospital.

He had been sentenced to death for spying and his role in bomb attacks that killed 14 people in Pakistan in 1990.

Sarabjit Singh's family, who had only just returned to India after visiting him in hospital, always insisted he was innocent and had strayed into Pakistan by mistake when he was arrested.

But mercy petitions were rejected by Pakistani courts and former President Pervez Musharraf.

Sarabjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur called her brother's death "a murder by Pakistan", according to the Associated Press.

Ms Kaur said she would continue to fight for the release of other Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails.

Sarabjit Singh

•Accused of spying and involvement in the 1990 bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad in which 14 people died
•Convicted and sentenced to death in 1991
•Pakistan says his real name was Manjit Singh
•Campaigners allege his trial was unfair and he confessed under torture
•His family says he was a farmer who strayed into Pakistan by mistake while drunk
•Delhi unsuccessfully appealed for his release or transfer to India
•Died after being attacked by inmates in Lahore's prison

India had appealed for Sarabjit Singh, 49, to be released or transferred to India over concerns about his treatment following his attack. He had sustained several serious injuries, including a fractured skull.

The Pakistani foreign ministry said that Sarabjit Singh had received "the best treatment available" and that "medical staff at Jinnah Hospital had been working round the clock... to save his life".

Espionage accusations

The issue risks stirring fresh tensions in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours and long-time rivals, correspondents say.

Strains had already increased in the past six months with the execution in India of Kashmiri Afzul Guru over the 2001 attack on India's parliament, and of Mohammed Ajmal Qasab, a Pakistani who was the sole surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Sarabjit Singh's lawyer Owais Sheikh said his client had received threats after Guru's execution.

Sarabjit Singh's family had visited him in hospital earlier in the week

Sarabjit Singh was attacked as he and other prisoners were brought out of their cells for a one-hour break.

Two inmates were charged with attempted murder and two officials suspended.

Pakistan and India frequently arrest each other's citizens, often accusing them of being spies after they have strayed across the land or maritime border.

In recent years, several Indians returning from Pakistani jails have admitted to spying.

Some have criticised India's government for abandoning them.

source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-22378113
 
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Jan 6, 2005
3,450
3,762
Metro-Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Indian establishment makes mockery of martyrdom in wake of Sarabjit Singh death

Sarabjit-Singh-post.jpg

Villagers along with leaders pay tribute to Sarabjit Singh,
a death row prisoner that was killed in Pakistan,
during his cremation at Bikhiwind village near Amritsar, India
on May 3, 2013. Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images


GURPREET SINGH
RADIO INDIA


The recent decision of the Indian government to describe Sarabjit Singh, an alleged spy who died after being assaulted in a Pakistani jail, as a martyr has sent conflicting signals and reflects poorly on its foreign policy.

Singh was convicted by Pakistani courts for 1990 bombings that left 14 people dead. Though Singh had claimed innocence and there were efforts to get him released on humanitarian grounds at the government level, Indian authorities have chosen to describe him a martyr or brave son following his death in Jinnah Hospital in Pakistan, where he was struggling for life after being left viciously attacked by fellow jail inmates.

Until recently, Singh’s family and his Canada-based supporters claimed that he had accidentally crossed the international border between India and Pakistan and was wrongly implicated in the crime. A few Canadians spearheaded campaign for his release.

His native village, Bhikiwind, is situated close to the zero line that divides India and Pakistan. His family claimed that he had mistakenly strayed into the Pakistan territory.

Incidentally, Bhai Bhag Singh, a towering leader of the East Indian community in Vancouver, who was assassinated by a spy of the British Empire in 1914, belonged to the same village. He was at the forefront of the struggle for voting rights for Indian immigrants and had challenged so-called racist immigration laws of the Canadian government.

He was associated with the Ghadar Party, a group that believed in an armed rebellion against the British Empire that occupied India back then. The Ghadar Party was formed by Indian immigrants on the West Coast of North America in 1913 to resist racism and foreign occupation of their homeland.

The movement was born out of discriminatory experiences endured by these men as the British government did not come to their rescue whenever there was an assault on their rights from the white majority. Since these men came to this part of the world as British subjects and Canada, too, was a British colony, they were disillusioned by the indifference of the Empire.

Whereas the Indian establishment has completely forgotten Bhag Singh and his contributions, with no significant effort to raise a national monument for him in his native village, Sarabjit Singh has received extraordinary attention despite having a dubious reputation.

The fatal attack on Sarabjit Singh follows the hanging of Pakistani extremist Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was behind the terror attack on Mumbai, India in 2008 that left more than 100 people dead. Had Pakistan declared him a hero, the Indian government would have quickly branded their neighbours a “terrorist state.’’

How wise, therefore, is the move to glorify Sarabjit Singh as a hero? Besides, how can a man become a martyr if he was, as some argue, an innocent victim of circumstance? By declaring him thusly, the Indian government has actually belittled real martyrs and national heroes, like Bhag Singh, who fought consciously against injustices.

At a strategic level this is a bad decision. It is like an indirect endorsement of a terrorist crime allegedly committed by Singh in Pakistan.

Let’s face it — the Indian government failed to handle this affair appropriately. Just to pacify public anger and hide its own weaknesses, it is trying to silence its critics by indulging in jingoism and narrow nationalism.

source: http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/i...yrdom-in-wake-of-sarabjit-singh-death/548925/
 
Jan 6, 2005
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3,762
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Dal Khalsa question martyr’s status to Sarabjit

Saturday, May, 04 2013 - 12:18
By Jagtar Singh-

CHANDIGARH:
The Dal Khalsa asked the Punjab government to explain to the people about the contribution of deceased Sarabjit Singh towards the state and the rationale behind cremating his mortal remains with full state honour and also that of announcing Rs 1 crore from public exchequer for his family.

Taking a dig at Badals for announcing Sarabjit as a national martyr and three day state mourning, party head H S Dhami and general secretary Dr Manjinder Singh accused the Indian leadership of double standards.They made it clear that his killing was highly unfortunate in Pakistani prison and they were saddened by this ghastly act and they also shared organization’s condolences with his family members.

However, they said they were convinced that he was not as innocent as had been portrayed by the state and the mainstream media.These leaders said Sarabjit was tried and convicted by the judicial process of Pakistan for carrying out subversive activities over there. By going extra miles to give him hero’s send-off and showering financial doles on him at his unfortunate demise, the Indian state had proven that he was state sponsored actor sent to Pakistan to accomplish the task assigned by his handlers.

They pointed out on one hand, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal look irritated and uncomfortable with Gurdwara built in memory of June 1984 martyrs being named after Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had been accorded the status of a martyr by the Akal Takht and the SGPC on June 6, 2003.

On the other hand, Badal lost no time in declaring Sarabjit a national martyr without explaining the nature of his sacrifice in the assembly session convened for some other pressing reason. The leaders asked Badals to come clear whether as SAD leaders they abide by Akal Takht decisions or not?They asked Badals to name any uniformed soldier who died on duty while serving the state or country, who had been given one crore rupees from the state exchequer.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for calling him a “brave son of India”, the leaders asked him to tell the countrymen about the bravery exemplified by Sarabjit for the sake of the country.

They wondered whether PM and other leaders including Badals considered Sarabjit’s action of crossing the international border in an inebriated condition (as claimed by his family members) as an “act of bravery”. They ridicule the theory of mistaken identity forwarded by Sarabjit’s family members and termed it after-thought to save his skin.

source: http://www.punjabnewsline.com/news/Dal-Khalsa-question-martyr___s-status-to-Sarabjit.html
 

aristotle

SPNer
May 10, 2010
1,156
2,653
Ancient Greece
Just a thought, the border fence in Punjab area is so harsh; double cutter spiralled wiring, 6 feet high on both sides, separated by a no-man's land and frequently manned by border security agencies. Is there any chance a drunk person can cross the fence by mistake as is being claimed in Sarabjit case?
P.S. This is just a random question that came into my mind, not an accusation.
 
Jan 6, 2005
3,450
3,762
Metro-Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Former Indian spies demand rehabilitation package

Monday, May, 06 2013 - 17:44

By Jagtar Singh-

CHANDIGARH:
With the decision of the Punjab government to honour Pakistani prison Sarabjit Singh after his death as national hero having triggered chain reaction, the former Indian spies who have been leading miserable lives and disowned by the government have demanded proper rehabilitation package.

Some of them narrated their woes at a press conference here today and said if Sarabjit Singh who, as per the claim of his family, crossed over to Pakistan in an inebriated state, could be bestowed with the honour of a national hero and the family awarded Rs. 1 crore along with other facilities to the family, why were they being neglected who had crossed over to Pakistan to serve the country as agents of various intelligence agencies. They identified the intelligence agencies they had worked with.They belonged to Ferozepur and Gursdaspur districts and have organized under the banner of Espionage Victims’ Association organized by Gaurav Bhaskar whose father had also spent years in Pakistani jails.

After his release, he wrote a book about his experience. Karamat Rahi from Gurdaspur said they had approached the agencies which had sent them to Pakistan, the central government and also tried to seek judicial intervention but all in vain and they continued to be ignored and disowned.At least two of them had been in Lahore jail along with Sarabjit. They refused to divulge the nature of service they had done for the country saying this could not be disclosed in the national interest.They demanded that every former spy or his family should be treated at par with Sarabjit and those who had been killed or died declared be ‘martyr'. A respectable rehabilitation package be announced for them.

A compensation of Rs.One Crore should be announced for those who had died and Rs. 5 lakh per year grant for others be awarded. Government job should be given to one of the dependent of the spy.The association also demanded reservation quota in educational institutions and government jobs on the lines of freedom fighters and ex-servicemen.

Sainik Welfare Board should be directed to cater to the needs of families of spies. Surviving spies or they should be wives be given pension. Further, diplomatic channels be explored to ensure release of all Indian spies languishing in various jails out of the country and ensure release of all those who have completed their sentence there. The association demanded that insurance policy for Rs.50 Lakh be introduced at the time of recruitment of spies. Other demands included formation of separate working board for spies to redress their grievances and demands.

source: http://www.punjabnewsline.com/news/Former-Indian-spies-demand-rehabilitation-package.html
 

Inderjeet Kaur

Writer
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Oct 13, 2011
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As I have declared a moratorium on India bashing, I can only say that spying is a very dangerous profession and the spies and their families should be generously compensated.

On another note, although there are several definitions of "Shaheed," I think we can all agree that it is an honourable and great title given to those who have (minimally) died for Sikhi. Not every Sikh who dies a nasty, violent death is a shaheed. We are sorry that he died. It was a horrible death, but by no stretch of my imagination does Sarabjit Singh qualify as a shaheed.
 

spnadmin

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Jun 17, 2004
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Pardon but there are times when my own mental limits are as obvious to me as to anyone else. I am not even up to the point where I have an opinion about whether Sarabjit Singh is a shaheed. It is an open question for me.

Scenario 1: I thought that if you were/are a spy, no one is supposed to know you are a spy. Often even your family doesn't know it. You just end up dead one day in the woods and the police and authorities are "baffled." Your funeral is a private affair.

Scenario 2: You are a spy and you have been traded for a spy on the other side. Everyone knows you are a spy if they watch TV, read newspapers, watch John LeCaree movies. The authorities whisk you away after the trade to a safe-house where they debrief you. 20 years later you write a book about your experiences.

Scenario 3: You are a spy who works for a government agency. Your possible true identity is known to your family but you also have a suitcase full of false passports and other identification papers. If you have to make a fast get-away you can do that. Wherever you end up no one need know who you really are. It stays that way until you get caught.

Scenario 4: This is the "known to be a spy" scenario.

You admit your are a spy, and somehow you make it back from dark ops to your hometown. As do many others just like you. ....... Another person (let's take Sarabjit Singh as an example) is alleged to be a "spy." No one in authority, other than those on the other side, confirms his true spy identity, which btw and imho makes a lot of sense if we are talking about spies. He dies in a foreign jail. The dead person is slated for honors as a martyr. (Perhaps he deserves them? But who knows for sure? We only confirm he was convicted of bombings and died by ruthless hands.) ...... The others, who admitted they were spies, and their families, petition to be compensated!

That sort of let's the cat out of the bag doesn't it? Changes the world of spy-craft. There could be several explanations. Is the problem keeping secrets secret? Or are some secrets meant to be shared?
 
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aristotle

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May 10, 2010
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I consider only people who die for Sikhi or because they are Sikhs to be Sikh shaheeds, not those who die for India.
It was not that he willingly gave up his life for the country. By this logic, every soldier and civilian who is killed at the hand of foreign enemies should get the same treatment as in the case of Sarabjit, which we know never happens.
 

Inderjeet Kaur

Writer
SPNer
Oct 13, 2011
869
1,765
Seattle, Washington, USA
It was not that he willingly gave up his life for the country. By this logic, every soldier and civilian who is killed at the hand of foreign enemies should get the same treatment as in the case of Sarabjit, which we know never happens.

I think you misunderstand me. My point is that he died for India, not for the Panth and so cannot be considered a Sikh shaheed. Frankly, I don't give half a tinker's damn how the State of India regards him or any other of their agents. I do care about those who die for Sikhi.
:animatedkhanda1:​
 

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