lekhuram Meghwal, a prison mate of Sarabjit Singh in Kot lakhpat Jail in lahore, is witness to several cases when the jail authority instigated fellow Pakistani prisoners to attack the Indian inmates in this jail.
Talking to The Pioneer, Meghwal (50) said whenever some incidents took place in India in which Muslims were involved, the jail officials allowed the Pakistani prisoners to attack the Indians. This attack on Sarabjit could not be the exception,” he said.
Meghwal, who belongs to village 13 MD, in the Gharasana area of the bordering district of Sri Ganganagar, had strayed into Pakistan in 2007. He was caught by Pakistani Rangers and had to spend six years in Kot lakhpat Jail. He was released in March this year.
Meghwal said he had met Sarabjit Singh about half a dozen times. Whenever he used to feel depressed, Indian prisoners would console him. He is still very hopeful to return to India one day.
According to Meghwal, Sarabjit Singh had of late gained weight and was suffering from several health problems. “Jail authorities never bothered for his treatment. He was hardly allowed to visit the hospital in the jail,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syed Zainul Abedin, Dewan of Dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin at Ajmer, described the attack on Sarabjit in the jail as “un-Islamic act in an Islamic republic.”
“The Islamic law holds that the prisoners of war and foreign prisoners should not be ill-treated and must be fed properly,” Dewan said quoting Islamic laws. He said that extremist elements in collusion with the ISI could be behind the attack on Sarabjit Singh.
The Dewan had opposed the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to the Dargah, which took place only a few days after the beheading of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani Army.
As per tradition, whenever any dignitary visits the Dargah, Dewan receives him at Buland Darwaja and offers him robe of honour. But the Dewan had declined to receive Ashraf in view of treatment meted out to the bodies of Indian soldiers.