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| Indian Prisoner in Pakistan Dies After Beating | Indian Prisoner in Pakistan Dies After Beating |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| MULTAN, Pakistan – An Indian man on death row in Pakistan for espionage has died after being attacked by fellow inmates, Pakistan’s state television said early Thursday, prompting an angry response from India. | |
| Sarabjit Singh, 51, died in hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, where he had been in a coma for at least five days. He had been on death row after being convicted of espionage in relation to bombings in two Pakistani cities in 1990. | Sarabjit Singh, 51, died in hospital in the eastern city of Lahore, where he had been in a coma for at least five days. He had been on death row after being convicted of espionage in relation to bombings in two Pakistani cities in 1990. |
| His fate has been a source of tension between Pakistan and India since he was attacked last Friday. In a statement, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, said he was “deeply saddened” by Mr. Singh’s death, describing him as a “brave son of India,” and adding, “The criminals responsible for the barbaric and murderous attack on him must be brought to justice.” | |
| The prime minister also criticized the Pakistani government’s refusal to repatriate the injured prisoner to India for emergency treatment. | |
| ‘'It is particularly regrettable that the government of Pakistan did not heed the pleas of the government of India, Sarabjit’s family and of civil society in India and Pakistan to take a humanitarian view of this case,” the prime minister said. | |
| According to the Pakistani police, Mr. Singh was assaulted by two prisoners as he left his cell at Kot Lakhpat jail, outside Lahore, to exercise last Friday. He suffered severe head injuries and was later brought to the city’s Jinnah hospital in critical condition. | According to the Pakistani police, Mr. Singh was assaulted by two prisoners as he left his cell at Kot Lakhpat jail, outside Lahore, to exercise last Friday. He suffered severe head injuries and was later brought to the city’s Jinnah hospital in critical condition. |
| Mr. Singh’s wife, sister and two daughters came to Pakistan to visit him on Sunday and returned to India on Wednesday. | Mr. Singh’s wife, sister and two daughters came to Pakistan to visit him on Sunday and returned to India on Wednesday. |
| Pakistani officials said they worked to save his life. | |
| “The prisoner, who had been in a comatose state and on a ventilator for the last few days,was being provided the best treatment available and the medical staff at Jinnah Hospital had been working round the clock since his hospitalization to save his life,"said a statement by the Pakistani government. “However, despite their best efforts, they could not save him and Sarabjit Singh passed away due to cardiac arrest.” | |
| Mr. Singh’s Pakistani lawyer said that his client had previously spoken of threats from jail inmates following the hanging of Afzal Guru, an accused Kashmiri militant, by the Indian authorities in February. | Mr. Singh’s Pakistani lawyer said that his client had previously spoken of threats from jail inmates following the hanging of Afzal Guru, an accused Kashmiri militant, by the Indian authorities in February. |
| Mr. Singh was convicted of spying and for his involvement in a series of bomb blasts that killed 14 people in the Punjabi cities of Faisalabad and Lahore in 1990. | Mr. Singh was convicted of spying and for his involvement in a series of bomb blasts that killed 14 people in the Punjabi cities of Faisalabad and Lahore in 1990. |
| His case came into the limelight in 2006 when his sister appealed to Pakistan’s then President, Pervez Musharraf, to grant him clemency and repatriate him to India. | His case came into the limelight in 2006 when his sister appealed to Pakistan’s then President, Pervez Musharraf, to grant him clemency and repatriate him to India. |
| That petition was dismissed by President Musharraf and the Pakistani courts. Mr. Singh then wrote to President Asif Ali Zardari in July 2009, requesting a pardon on humanitarian grounds. | That petition was dismissed by President Musharraf and the Pakistani courts. Mr. Singh then wrote to President Asif Ali Zardari in July 2009, requesting a pardon on humanitarian grounds. |
| Mr. Singh’s fate has been the source of intense media coverage in both countries but it was not clear whether it would have a serious impact on relations between the two governments. | Mr. Singh’s fate has been the source of intense media coverage in both countries but it was not clear whether it would have a serious impact on relations between the two governments. |
| Prisoner exchanges are a long-running matter of contention between Pakistan and India, and the two countries have formed a judicial commission composed of retired judges to discuss the issue. An Indian delegation is due to travel to Pakistan for further talks later this month. | Prisoner exchanges are a long-running matter of contention between Pakistan and India, and the two countries have formed a judicial commission composed of retired judges to discuss the issue. An Indian delegation is due to travel to Pakistan for further talks later this month. |
Waqar Gilani contributed reporting. | Waqar Gilani contributed reporting. |