Government of Pakistan on Thursday announced that it would facilitate the family of Sarabjit Singh and hand over his body to the Indian High Commission at the earliest possible.
A Foreign Office spokesman said that Pakistan had been providing all assistance to the family of Sarabjit Singh and to the Indian authorities since the occurrence of this unfortunate incident. Indian prisoner‚ Sarabjit Singh who was hospitalised on April 26 following injuries sustained during a scuffle with fellow inmates‚ expired early on Wednesday at Jinnah Hospital‚ Lahore.
He said the prisoner‚ who had been in a comatose state and on a ventilator for the last few days‚ was being provided the best treatment available and the medical staff at Jinnah Hospital had been working round the clock since his hospitalization to save his life.
However‚ despite their best efforts‚ they could not save him and Sarabjit Singh passed away due to cardiac arrest.
Sarabjit Singh was attacked by 2 inmates at the Kot Lakhpat Jail‚ Lahore on April 26‚ Friday. He had received serious head injuries.
Sarabjit’s body has been shifted to a morgue and security around the hospital had been tightened.
Meanwhile‚ a medical board is being set up for the postmortem. Medical Superintendent Jinnah Hospital‚ senior doctors and pathologists will be included in the board.
Sarabjit had admitted killing of 14 Pakistanis in blasts in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990.
India demands probe
New Delhi on Thursday demanded that Pakistan conduct a thorough probe into the death of Indian spy Sarabjit Singh who died in Lahore’s hospital late on Wednesday night.
“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 thorough investigation to identify those who were responsible, and to ensure that they are punished,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.
It also said that the shocking attack on Sarabjit highlights the need for concerted action by Pakistan to safeguard Indians in Pakistani jails.
The ministry added that it shares the pain and sorrow of Sarabjit’s family and had asked the Pakistani authorities to release his body so that he can be given a funeral in India and among his own people.
