Failure to protect the lives of prisoners is reprehensible.
The death of the Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Lahore jail and the subsequent reactionary attack on Pakistani prisoner Sanauallah in KotBalwal jail in Jammu & Kashmir are the kind of grisly incidents that could easily have been prevented. Though there is no denying the fact that both India and Pakistan share a bitter history, a humane treatment of each other's nationals in custody is something that the two countries need to follow if only to meet the bare requirements of basic civilization norms and those of international jurisprudence, compassion and security. However, Pakistan's conduct in this matter has been particularly egregious.
Singh’s story bears out Pakistan's callousness in the way it treats Indian prisoners lodged in its jails. Given the fact that at the time of the attack Singh had already acquired the status of a high-profile prisoner, one would have expected the Pakistan government to have ensured that Singh was accorded maximum security so that an untoward incident damaging bilateral relations could have been avoided. Instead Pakistan chose to ignore the death threats and kept him in prison without the necessary security.
Though the subsequent retaliatory attack on Pak prisoner Sanauallah is no less regrettable, the attenuating feature is that it was at least not premeditated as in Singh's case. Prima facie, it appears to be a case more of personal acrimony, which went out of hand. But India has at least allowed officials from Pakistan to meet the injured prisoner. On the other hand, Sarabjit’s vital organs were found removed when his body was handed over to India.
As in the case of Sarabjit, Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, of whom there are about 800 languishing, are allegedly subject to humiliation and third degree torture. The ones who are lucky to come out alive have gory tales of horror to relate. Quite a few of them, who have come out of incarceration, have been found to have gone soft in the head.
Islamabad and New Delhi need to learn lessons from Singh’s and Sanaullah's tragic saga and accord importance to an issue that both had been wishing away. Both sides need to evolve a prisoners’ policy, including consular access and a monitoring mechanism of their physical status and safety. It's unfortunate that India does not have this kind of bilateral agreement with many nations, including Pakistan.
The death of the Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Lahore jail and the subsequent reactionary attack on Pakistani prisoner Sanauallah in KotBalwal jail in Jammu & Kashmir are the kind of grisly incidents that could easily have been prevented. Though there is no denying the fact that both India and Pakistan share a bitter history, a humane treatment of each other's nationals in custody is something that the two countries need to follow if only to meet the bare requirements of basic civilization norms and those of international jurisprudence, compassion and security. However, Pakistan's conduct in this matter has been particularly egregious.
Singh’s story bears out Pakistan's callousness in the way it treats Indian prisoners lodged in its jails. Given the fact that at the time of the attack Singh had already acquired the status of a high-profile prisoner, one would have expected the Pakistan government to have ensured that Singh was accorded maximum security so that an untoward incident damaging bilateral relations could have been avoided. Instead Pakistan chose to ignore the death threats and kept him in prison without the necessary security.
Though the subsequent retaliatory attack on Pak prisoner Sanauallah is no less regrettable, the attenuating feature is that it was at least not premeditated as in Singh's case. Prima facie, it appears to be a case more of personal acrimony, which went out of hand. But India has at least allowed officials from Pakistan to meet the injured prisoner. On the other hand, Sarabjit’s vital organs were found removed when his body was handed over to India.
As in the case of Sarabjit, Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, of whom there are about 800 languishing, are allegedly subject to humiliation and third degree torture. The ones who are lucky to come out alive have gory tales of horror to relate. Quite a few of them, who have come out of incarceration, have been found to have gone soft in the head.
Islamabad and New Delhi need to learn lessons from Singh’s and Sanaullah's tragic saga and accord importance to an issue that both had been wishing away. Both sides need to evolve a prisoners’ policy, including consular access and a monitoring mechanism of their physical status and safety. It's unfortunate that India does not have this kind of bilateral agreement with many nations, including Pakistan.
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