India today urged Pakistan to punish those responsible for the death of Sarabjit Singh. He died in a Lahore hospital iafter a barbaric attack on him in jail.. He was on death row.
External Affairs Ministery Spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said that India has asked Pakistan to hand over Sarabjeet's body to India.
India will send a special plane to Lahore to bring back the body of Sarabjit Singh.Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde was talking told reporters in New Delhi this afternoon. Shinde, however, did not specify when the plane will fly to Lahore. The Home Minister said New Delhi had tried its best to convince Islamabad to hand over the Indian who had been languishing in Pakistani jail for more than two decades.
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said it is regrettable that Islamabad did not heed to the pleas by New Delhi to take humanitarian view of the prisoners case. The Prime Minister underlined that the criminals responsible for barbaric attack must be brought to justice.
Ascertaning that Sarabjit Singh's death was killing of a Indian citizen while in custody of Pakistani jail authorities, the External Affairs ministry demanded a though probe into the incident to ensure that culprits are brought to book. External Affairs Minister Salman Khursid said that he was extremely anguished over the murder.
The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mr Rajiv Shukla said Pakistan government should apologize and order a high level probe.
BJP leader Sushma Sawraj termed his death as a cold blooded murder. BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said his party will support the government if it brings a censure motion in Parliament against Pakistan. He said the government has failed on the diplomatic front.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met family of Sarabjit Singh. Mr Gandhi spent around 30 minutes with the family and consoled them.
Infromation &Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said that Pakistani establishment must account for the death of Sarabjit Singh.
Punjab government has announced that Sarabjit Singh who died in a Lahore hospital would be given a state-level funeral after his body is handed over and brought back to India. It also announced that both daughters of Sarabjit Singh would be given government jobs. In Haryana people held demonstrations against Pakistan after Sarabjit Singh died in hospital in Lahore.
Talking to media in New Delhi, Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur alleged that Sarabjit was killed in view of elections in Pakistan. She appealed to people of all religion to come together to give an answer to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said the body of Sarabjit Singh, will be handed over to Indian authorities after the completion of all formalities. A statement from the Foreign Office said in Islamabad that the Pakistan government will continue to facilitate the early completion of all formalities and hand over the mortal remains of the prisoner to the Indian High Commission at the earliest possible.
Gloom has descended on Sarabjit's native village Bhikhiwind in Tarntarn district of Punjab after the news of his death reached . Shops and schools have been closed. People on protest raised slogan against Pakistan where Sarabjit's died after being brutally beaten up by his jail inmates. Our Jallandhar Correspondent reports that police has made elaborate arrangements to deal with any situation.
