Sarabjit's kin pleas for his release from Pak jail

Rajkot, July 4: Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh, who was sentenced to death for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan in 1990, has appealed the National Human Right Commission and Indian government for his release from Pakistan Jail.

Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, Dalbir said her brother in an inebriated condition had inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan on August 28, 1990 and reached Kasoor district of Lahore.

She clamed that her brother was booked for bomb blasts that had occured in Pakistan during May 1990 but at the timeof bomb blast he was not in Pakistan. Sarabjit was arrested in August after he accidentally crossed over to Pakistan, she said.

Dalbir said her plea to Pakistan government and the court that Sarbjit was not involved in the bomb blast was not heard, They rejected the plea and even the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the death sentence awarded to Sarbjit.

Recalling the troubled times, she said ''We have been running from pillar to post to secure his release but every effort has gone in vain.''

Dalbir said, ''We had requested the then Prime Minister of India Narsihma Rao in 1991 and also in 1993, Mr Natwar Singh, the then Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amringar Singh, present Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and several other higher officials to look into the matter and do the favour but all went in vain.'' In other case, Myayadevi, the mother of Kuldeep Kumar Yadav (41), who is lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan told merdiapersons here along side Dalbir, ''My son is languishing in Pakistan government's custody since March 23, 1994. All efforts to release him through Indian government has failed.'' International Human Right Activist Advocate M K Paul who was present during the press briefing said that Kuldeep Kumar, accused by Pakistan of being an Indian spy and languishing in a jail in Lahore for nearly 13 years, has alleged torture by jail authorities.

Mr Paul said he received a letter from Kuldeep in which he had said he was unable to bear the torture anymore.

''I can not describe in this letter about the torture that I have been subjected to,'' states Yadav's letter to his advocate M K Paul.

Paul said he received Yadav's letter in first week of June and showed the inland letter to mediapersons.

According to Paul, Kuldeep in the letter has said that he (Kuldeep) was caught by Pakistan authorities on March 23, 1994 and kept in detention for three years. After that, a military court sentenced him to 25 years of imprisonment and he was shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail where he is languishing since 1996.

The biggest proof of Kuldeep being present in Kot Lakhpat Jail of Pakistan is a letter received by the family from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Firoz Ahmed Masoodi from Jammu district who was also present here, said his brother Shaheen Parvais Parvaiz Ahhmad Masoodi was arrested by Pak Authority in 1992 in the month of May under Pak Army act. He said his father had written a letter to the Prime Minister in June 2005 for his release, but so far nothing has been done. He said his brother was working as secret agent in intelligence Bureau since 1981.

M Paul said, ''We are planning to complain to International Human Rights, USA with the help of his friend, Delhi-based senior lawyer T N Gaur, settled in Amreica.'' Earlier, Mr Paul had complained to the chairman and members of NHRC, that he had complained against Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs, in which he alleged that 16 Indian spies languishing in Pakistan jails but no efforts were being made for their release by the Indian government.

Dalvir came to Rajkot to meet Mr paul Bhikhiwing of Amritsar while Mayadevi came from Ahmedabad and Firoz Ahmed Masoodi from Tehsil Beerwah, district Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

UNI