A senior National Conference leader today said the death of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay should not be "seen as an excuse" to intensify hostilities between the neighbouring countries.
NC leader Mustafa Kamal said the death should rather act as a reason for both the countries to come closer and bury the hatchet.
"Although the attack took place in a jail in Jammu and Kashmir, it is not a local issue. It is the manifestation of the chronic hatred and distrust that exists between India and Pakistan," he said.
However, citing example of death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, he said with Sanaullah's death "tit for tat" has been completed.
"It was the result of neighbouring country's attitude towards foreign citizens which was showing its effects outside the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.
"Hate begets hate and love begets love, I believe it is a part of that only, and with the death of the Pakistani prisoner tit for tat has been completed," said Kamal.
Kamal condemned the incident saying neither Sarabjit should have been murdered, nor Sanaullah.
"It is most unfortunate and should not have happened, both the incidents, neither the death of Sarabjit nor the death of Sanaullah," he said.
Meanwhile, state BJP said that Pakistan's lack of respect towards the norms, that need to be followed while dealing with the citizens of the other countries, was responsible for the incident.
"This is the result of Pakistani authorities' lack of regard for the norms and discipline to be observed while dealing with the citizens of the foreign nations, which is now showing repercussions," said Jatinder Singh, BJP's state spokesperson and national executive member, .
CPI(M) representative of the state, M Y Tarigami, termed the incident as unfortunate and said nothing justifies brutalities.
52-year-old Sanaullah, who was serving life sentence at Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu, was grievously injured in an attack by an inmate on Friday last. He died this morning at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
The assault came a day after the death of an Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who was brutally attacked by fellow inmates in a Pakistani jail.
