Ensure protection of Pak prisoners in states: PUCL to Centre

People's Union for Civil Liberties has appealed to the Centre to issue an advisory to all states to ensure protection of Pakistani prisoners in their areas in the wake of brutal attack on Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan.
Condemning the attack, the organisation also demanded from the Government of Pakistan that Sarabjit should be sent for best available treatment to any country having more advanced medical facilities to save his life.
"The PUCL fears repercussion of this in India and would appeal to the Government of India to issue an advisory to all state governments to ensure protection of Pakistani prisoners in their states so that such incidents are not repeated," a statement said.

"The PUCL would also like to appeal to the Government of Rajasthan that security should be raised for all the Pakistani prisoners in the various jails of the state," PUCL General Secretary Kavita Srivastava said in the statement.
She said in case Sarabjit is brain dead, he should be brought back home so that his family can be with him in the last moments of his life.
"We condemn the attack. We are shocked that co-prisoners were allowed into his ward by the Kot Lakhpat jail authorities with bricks and other sharp edged instruments causing serious head injuries.

"There seems to be connivance of the Jail authorities in this murderous attack on Sarabjit," she said.

"While we are happy that the Government of Pakistan has instituted an enquiry, the PUCL demands that it be a fair enquiry and criminal cases be lodged against the culprits so that Sarabjit gets justice," she said.
Srivastava said both Sarabjit and his family had been waiting for the last 22 years for his return, but they may now never see that day with reports of his condition deteriorating continuously.
"It was a case of mistaken identity with enough evidence showing that the Trial court, Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan refused to enquire into the grey areas of the case.

"He was vulnerable not only because of the crime that he had allegedly committed, being on death row for a terrorist crime, but also because of his nationality being Indian, belonging to a county with whom Pakistan has serious hostilities," she said, while reiterating that the PUCL is against the death penalty in any case.
Sarabjit, 49, sustained several injuries, including a skull fracture, when six prisoners attacked him in Kot Lakhpat Jail on Friday afternoon.
He was convicted of alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990.