A mournful nation erupted in anger over the brutal killing of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan after a “barbaric” attack in a lahore jail. As anti-Pakistan mood swept India and protest spread across the country, the Government’s handling of the Sarabjit’s case evoked sharp criticism from different quarters. The BJP called for scaling down of diplomatic ties with the neighbour, while Sarabjit’s shattered sister Dalbir Kaur urged political parties to unite for a strong collective response to Pakistan. Questions were also raised on future of Indo-Pak ties.
Sarabjit’s death also triggered an outrage in Parliament on Thursday. Both Houses expressed shock at his murder and adopted resolutions condemning the ‘inhuman treatment’ meted out to him in the Pakistan jail. The Government was in the line of fire of Opposition MPs who also raised anti-Pakistan slogans in the lok Sabha.
No one could have expressed the mood of the nation better than Dalbir Kaur. With tears in her eyes, she accused the Government of doing precious little for her brother’s release and accused Pakistan of backstabbing India.
“They backstabbed Atal Bihari Vajpayee first. Now they backstabbed (Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh. They have now attacked India’s emotions by killing my brother. My brother has become a martyr for the country,” she told reporters here. “(Pakistan President Asif Ali) Zardari killed my brother for (victory in) elections,” she alleged, adding, “I will fight for the ‘other Sarabjits’ languishing in Pakistani jails.”
She said that she has been raising the issue of Sarabjit since 2005 but no steps were taken by the Government for his release. “If the steps had been taken, he would have been alive now,” she said. Kaur also claimed that a Pakistani human right activist had demanded at least Rs2 crore for the release of her brother.
“If I had given Rs2 crore..., my brother would have been alive now. The person demanded Rs25 crore for the release of my brother. When I said that I am from a poor family, that person said if you cannot give Rs25 crore, you will have to give at least Rs2 crore.
Expressing outrage over the Indian Government inaction in securing release of Sarabjit, Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the Government is equally responsible for his death. “This showed how incapable the Congress Government is,” she said.
Sarabjit’s death was an “entirely avoidable tragedy”, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said, strongly condemning the “inhuman treatment and brutal murder” of the prisoner right under the nose of the Pakistani authorities. Badal also criticised the Centre’s approach in handling the matter.
BJP while condemning the death of Sarabjit as a “cold blooded murder” assumed a strident tone demanding that India call back its High Commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations with that country.
“The Indian high commissioner in Pakistan should be called back for the time being until Pakistan gives credible assurances that it will not allow its territory to be used to promote terrorism against India and that all Indian prisoners are safe in Pakistani jails,” BJP chief Rajnath Singh told reporters.
Condemning the killing of Sarabjit Singh, leader of Opposition Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said: “Today is a day of sadness, regret and anguish. I am sure the whole Parliament will raise its voice unanimously.” He then criticised the Government’s foreign policy and said: “It is a sample of how our tottering Government has turned coward.”
When asked whether ties between India and Pakistan will be normal against the backdrop of Sarabjit death, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said, “I think it is a big question that, in coming days, we will have to examine and see how we work.”
Asserting that the death of Sarabjit Singh has “hurt” people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan, Salman Khurshid hoped that the tragedy will help understand the cost of “hostility” between the two countries.
Khurshid said, “Governments can sometimes disagree, governments can sometimes sit together and talk but a sustainable and long-lasting relationship has to be between people and I think that today has been very, very sad… has been hurt by this terrible tragedy.”
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited the distraught family of Sarabjit at the residence of Rajumar Verka, vice-chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes. Rahul hugged Dalbir while offering his condolences.
While there was unanimity in holding Pakistan responsible for Sarabjit’s death, the Indian Government also came under attack from BJP, Trinamool Congress and Akali Dal for its “indifference” in handling of the Sarabjit episode.
In the line of fire of the Opposition for mishandling of the Sarabjit case, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanded justice from Pakistan. Hailing Sarabjit as a “brave son of India”, Singh said it was “particularly regrettable” that Pakistan did not heed pleas to take a humanitarian view of the prisoner’s case. The PM underlined that the criminals responsible for “the barbaric and murderous attack must be brought to justice.
The Government announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 25 lakh for Sarabjit Singh’s family from Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said: “When Sarabjit’s sister was crying for her brother, the Centre did not show its strength. It is a weak Government.”
West Bengal Chief Minister also Mamata Banerjee blamed the death of Indian death row prisoner to “bad handling” of the case. External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said India is demanding a thorough investigation of the attack. “This was simply the killing of an Indian citizen while in the custody of Pakistani authorities,” he said in a statement. The attack “highlights the need for a concerted action by Pakistan to safeguard Indian prisoners in Pakistan.”
Protests were held in several parts of the country with villagers at Sarabjit’s native Bhikhiwind village in Punjab slamming Pakistani authorities for the deadly attack on him. Shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, several villagers burnt Pakistani flags to register their protest.