 "Bitter politics played on Sarabjit Singh's death")
The death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a Pakistani jail early this morning, caused another bitter political confrontation between the beleaguered United Progressive Alliance government and the Opposition.
The government condemned the incident and demanded the release of the body, hailing Singh as a “brave son of India”. The Opposition grasped the opportunity to attack the government. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh even demanded that India call back its High Commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations with Islamabad.
Expectedly, both houses of Parliament were rocked over the issue and a resolution was adopted condemning the “inhuman treatment” and urging “the culprits be brought to book.”
Within the next few hours, first, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and then, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited Sarabjit’s family, who were camping in the capital. Rahul Gandhi was reportedly moved to tears while consoling Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur.
The BJP accused the Congress of trying to score political mileage by upstaging senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who had announced first she was going to visit the family.
Tearing into the government, in Parliament, Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said, “It is a sample of how our tottering government has turned coward.” He asked the government to do some introspection on its foreign policy.
In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena demanded that Pakistani actors working in films and television serials in India be immediately deported. Party spokesman and member of Parliament Sanjay Raut warned that if Indian producers resorted to “dilly-dallying tactics”, the party would handle the issue in its own style.
“The insult inflicted on us can be undone by deporting Pakistan actors. Indian producers should show the guts for the same,” Raut said.
Punjab’s Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, too launched an attack of the government, announcing jobs for Sarabjit’s kin. Criticising the “dilly dally” tactics of the Centre, he asked, “Was enough done to save him? Steps by the government of India to secure his release earlier were weak and totally inadequate.”
The government however rebutted these allegations with External Affairs minister, Salman Khurshid saying that it would impact the people-to-people relationship between the two countries. “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, very, very sadly, a relationship has been hurt by this terrible tragedy.”
Meanwhile the Congress chose to be on the offensive attacking the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for doing “nothing” on the Sarabjit Singh case while it was on power. Party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit addressing reporters said, “The NDA has no right to make these charges. They undertook bus ‘yatras’ and the Agra meeting with Pakistan, but not once did it raise Sarabjit Singh’s issue with them.” Dikshit asserted that “it was the Prime Minister who in 2005 spoke to his Pakistani counterpart in New York, raising the issue. The NDA did not in its tenure take up the issue.”
Sarabjit Singh, an Indian prisoner on death row, died at 1 am (Pakistan time) at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, six days after he was brutally assaulted by jail inmates in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sarabjit’s death comes within a day of his family visiting him at Jinnah hospital and pleading with the Indian authorities for better medical treatment for him, voicing fears about his life.
By late afternoon, Sarabjit Singh’s body was handed over to officials of the Indian High Commission by the Pakistani authorities after completing an autopsy. The cremation is likely to take place tomorrow at his native village, Bhikhiwind, in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
The government condemned the incident and demanded the release of the body, hailing Singh as a “brave son of India”. The Opposition grasped the opportunity to attack the government. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh even demanded that India call back its High Commissioner in Pakistan and scale down diplomatic relations with Islamabad.
Expectedly, both houses of Parliament were rocked over the issue and a resolution was adopted condemning the “inhuman treatment” and urging “the culprits be brought to book.”
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As news of Sarabjit’s death spread, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement of condolence. “It is particularly regrettable that the government of Pakistan did not heed the pleas of the government of India, Sarabjit's family and of the civil society in India and Pakistan to take a humanitarian view of this case.”
Within the next few hours, first, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and then, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited Sarabjit’s family, who were camping in the capital. Rahul Gandhi was reportedly moved to tears while consoling Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur.
The BJP accused the Congress of trying to score political mileage by upstaging senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who had announced first she was going to visit the family.
Tearing into the government, in Parliament, Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said, “It is a sample of how our tottering government has turned coward.” He asked the government to do some introspection on its foreign policy.
In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena demanded that Pakistani actors working in films and television serials in India be immediately deported. Party spokesman and member of Parliament Sanjay Raut warned that if Indian producers resorted to “dilly-dallying tactics”, the party would handle the issue in its own style.
“The insult inflicted on us can be undone by deporting Pakistan actors. Indian producers should show the guts for the same,” Raut said.
Punjab’s Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, too launched an attack of the government, announcing jobs for Sarabjit’s kin. Criticising the “dilly dally” tactics of the Centre, he asked, “Was enough done to save him? Steps by the government of India to secure his release earlier were weak and totally inadequate.”
The government however rebutted these allegations with External Affairs minister, Salman Khurshid saying that it would impact the people-to-people relationship between the two countries. “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, very, very sadly, a relationship has been hurt by this terrible tragedy.”
Meanwhile the Congress chose to be on the offensive attacking the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for doing “nothing” on the Sarabjit Singh case while it was on power. Party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit addressing reporters said, “The NDA has no right to make these charges. They undertook bus ‘yatras’ and the Agra meeting with Pakistan, but not once did it raise Sarabjit Singh’s issue with them.” Dikshit asserted that “it was the Prime Minister who in 2005 spoke to his Pakistani counterpart in New York, raising the issue. The NDA did not in its tenure take up the issue.”
Sarabjit Singh, an Indian prisoner on death row, died at 1 am (Pakistan time) at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, six days after he was brutally assaulted by jail inmates in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sarabjit’s death comes within a day of his family visiting him at Jinnah hospital and pleading with the Indian authorities for better medical treatment for him, voicing fears about his life.
By late afternoon, Sarabjit Singh’s body was handed over to officials of the Indian High Commission by the Pakistani authorities after completing an autopsy. The cremation is likely to take place tomorrow at his native village, Bhikhiwind, in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.