Sarabjit's family gets Pakistan visas, to leave for lahore Sunday

Published on:

27 Apr 2013, 12:00 am

Four family members of Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh will cross over to Pakistan Sunday, to visit him in a lahore hospital where he has been admitted after a brutal asssault, after the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued the visas Saturday evening as a special case.

"We have got the visas and we will be crossing over to Pakistan tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Our (visa) papers will reach here (Amritsar) by the evening," Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur told IANS.

She said that they will cross over to Pakistan on foot from the Attari-Wagah joint check-post between India and Pakistan, 30 km from here, Sunday. Dalbir will be accompanied by Sarabjit's wife Sukhpreet Kaur and daughters Swapandeep and Poonam.

The Pakistan High Commission Saturday evening granted visas to four family members of Sarabjit Singh to travel to Pakistan to see him.

"Four members of Sarabjit's family have been given visas to visit Pakistan," an official said in New Delhi. India's external affairs ministry facilitated the visas for the family members.

Sarabjit was admitted to lahore's Jinnah hospital after being assaulted by fellow prisoners in lahore's Kot lakhpat prison Friday. Doctors said that he was in coma and his condition was "critical".

His family had Friday demanded visas to visit Pakistan and be with him. Sarabjit suffered critical head injuries in the assault by four to five prisoners with bricks and plates.

The family members met Raj Kumar Verka, vice chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, to demand that their request for visas to Pakistan be submitted with the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Verka flew to New Delhi Saturday afternoon from Chandigarh, carrying with him documents to facilitate visas for Sarabjit's family.