Pakistani prisoner in IHK targeted in ‘tit-for-tat’ attack

A Pakistani prisoner suffered serious head injuries on Friday after being attacked in an Indian jail in an apparently vengeful attack following the death of Indian inmate Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan.
Sanaullah is in a critical state and is being treated for severe head injuries in an intensive care ward of a local hospital in Indian held Kashmir (IHK). According to latest reports till the filing of this report, he had been shifted to a ventilator.
“He was rushed to Jammu Medical College Hospital in critical condition as he had suffered severe head injuries in the attack. We are making arrangements for a critical care ambulance to shift him to Chandigarh or New Delhi for treatment,” said Rajni Sehgal, superintendent of the Kotbawal jail where the attack happened.
The inmate, Sanaullah, was attacked early morning by other inmates, the official said, a day after India’s home ministry ordered stepping-up security for hundreds of Pakistanis in Indian prisons.
On Thursday, Sarabjit Singh, an Indian in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat prison, who was jailed 16 years ago for spying and deadly bombings, died as a result of a savage assault by inmates.
Pakistan also took notice of the unprovoked attack on one of its citizens by some Indian inmate(s) in a jail in IHK and sought consular access to the injured which is likely to be entertained by Indian authorities.
Sanaullah was convicted in India in 1996 and was serving a life sentence. He was granted consular access after ten years, in January 2006, in a jail in Indian occupied Kashmir.
“This obvious retaliation to the death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh is condemnable and we call upon the Indian government to take all measures to ensure that Sanaullah receives the best medical treatment available, investigate the matter thoroughly and punish the perpetrators of this atrocity. We would also remind India of its responsibility in ensuring safety and security to all Pakistani prisoners detained in Indian jails,” said Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry.
“Upon receipt of this information, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has sought immediate consular access to visit Sanaullah who is presently in a hospital in Jammu and said to be in a critical condition,” he added.
“The foreign secretary spoke to the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad to ask for evacuation of Sanaullah to Pakistan for treatment in our hospital. Our High Commissioner in New Delhi is also making a similar request to Indian authorities. We have also called in the Indian Deputy High Commissioner to the Foreign Ministry and lodged a protest over the attack,” the spokesman said.
He said Pakistan had also called for the two governments to make maximum use of the existing mechanisms to address the issue of safety and security of prisoners. Consular access for Sanaullah has been agreed in principle and we are waiting for further details about the venue where the access would be granted, Chaudhry said, adding that the Judicial Committee was the usual channel where the matter would be taken.
He clearly said Sanaullah appeared to be the victim of a direct assault coming in the wake of Sarabjit Singh’s killing in Pakistan.
“With regards to provocative statements from Indian leaders, Pakistan continues to pursue a policy of restraint and responsibility … On the larger issue of security of prisoners, we believe that we need to effectively utilise existing mechanisms, such as the Judicial Committee on prisoners, consular agreement, and home / interior secretary level talks,” Chaudhry added.
Responding to a question, Chaudhry said there were approximately 500 to 600 Indian prisoners (fishermen and civil) in Pakistani jails and approximately the same number of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.

TIT-FOR-TAT: Many observers in Pakistan think the attack on the Pakistani prisoner is a tit-for-tat move orchestrated to avenge the killing of Sarbajit.
Noted defence analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi while talking to Pakistan Today viewed the attack on Sanaullah in light of a ‘tit-for-tat’ tactic, which he said was “carefully planned by Indian jail authorities with support from local authorities”.
“How can such a return action happen within a day of the death of Sarbajit Singh? How could an axe go to a jail? I think this was a planned move and jail and local authorities must be involved,” he stated.
Askari said unfortunately, anti-Pakistan sentiments were being promoted in India. However, he said after the attack on Sanaullah, Indians had lost their so-called “moral high-ground,” which the Indian media was ferociously highlighting since the past few days following the attack on Sarbajit.
“India has lost in its efforts to gain a high moral ground. The attack on Sanaullah is obviously a vengeance. Fanatics exist on both the sides of the border and India has failed in curbing fanaticism also,” he asserted.
Askari said these fanatics, on both sides, build pressure on their respective governments to stall any process for normalisation of ties between India and Pakistan, adding that they had succeeded once again.
Askari went on to say, “Protection to inmates is the responsibility of jail authorities. The attack on Sarbajit was a failure of our authorities”. He said the attack on Sarbajit was also surrounded by mystery and did not seem like an accident.
However, Askari ruled out involvement of the Pakistani government and said extremist groups might have been supporting such a move.
He was of the view that Pakistan and India, over the years, had had only small periods of good relations and in general, ties were strained. “I see no immediate restoration of normalisation in ties. Though India has offered talks on prisoners of war only, Pakistan wants to talk about all prisoners, which appears logical and wise,” he opined.
Meanwhile, India has termed the incident as “regrettable” and authorities said the matter was being investigated, assuring that the guilty will be punished.
The Ministry of External Affairs also said the injured was receiving medical treatment and once medical arrangements were in place, consular access will be provided.
“We are aware of the regrettable incident involving a Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah who was injured today during an altercation with another inmate of the jail in Jammu. The matter is being investigated and the guilty will be punished. Safety and security of prisoners in custody lies with jail authorities and necessary action is being taken. We are in touch with the Pakistan High Commission on the matter,” an Indian spokesperson said.
He also said current measures in place to ensure safety, security and humane treatment of Indian and Pakistani prisoners in each other’s jails needed to be enhanced given the present circumstances.
“For this, we are proposing a meeting of the concerned authorities from both countries to study recommendations and identify, and put in place further measures to avoid such tragic incidents in future,” he said.
He also noted that India had recently requested the joint Judicial Committee to visit jails in Pakistan.