Sarabjit's body flown to Amritar, state funeral tomorrow

The body of Sarabjit Singh, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a murderous attack by inmates in a Pakistani jail, was flown in here tonight amidst an outrage across the country even as he was virtually accorded a martyr's status.
The body of 49-year-old Sarabjit was brought from Lahore by a special Air India aircraft and will be handed over to his family at village Bikhiwind for a state funeral tomorrow.
It was a grim end to the battle waged by Sarabjit's family to secure his release after he had spent over two decades in Pakistani jails as the plane landed at Rajasansi Airport where political leaders, including Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, were present to receive the body.

Doctors at the Jinnah hospital in Lahore where Sarabjit was admitted last Friday said he died at 1.30 AM (IST) today following a cardiac arrest after being comatose for nearly a week.
Sarabjit, the second Indian prisoner to die in Pakistan's notorious Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore this year, was brutally attacked on Friday last by six fellow inmates when he and other prisoners were brought out of their cells for a break.
Punjab government has announced a financial assistance of Rs one crore for the family of Sarabjit and declared a three-day state mourning.

Flags will fly half mast on all government buildings and there will be no official ceremonial functions during this period, an official spokesman said.

Centre also announced exgratia payment of Rs 25 lakh for Sarabjit's family from Prime Minister's Relief Fund.
In Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regretted that Pakistan had not heeded pleas for taking a humanitarian view on the Sarabjit case.