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Who was Sarabjit Singh and how was he killed in Pakistan?

Sarabjit Singh was arrested by Pakistani border guards in 1990.

Published on: Apr 14, 2024, 19:10:10 IST
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An accused in the brutal murder of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan in 2013 was shot by unidentified assailants in Lahore on Sunday, PTI reported.

Sarabjit Singh was a resident of Bhikhiwind in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab.
Sarabjit Singh was a resident of Bhikhiwind in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab.

Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, a close associate of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, was shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Lahore's Islampura area. He was rushed in critical condition to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Singh, 49, died in 2013 after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by inmates including Tamba, inside the high-security Kot Lakhpat jail.

Who was Sarabjit Singh? What was the case against him?

  • Sarabjit Singh was a resident of Bhikhiwind, located along the Indo-Pakistani border in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab.
  • In 1990, Sarabjit Singh was arrested by Pakistani border guards from the Indo-Pak border in an inebriated state. His wife claimed he had gone to work on his fields near the Wagah border and had not returned.

    Also Read | Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh who died in Pakistan jail, passes away
  • Sarabjit was initially charged with illegally crossing into Pakistan, and was later accused of being involved in four bombings in Faisalabad and Lahore that caused the death of 14 people.
  • In 1991, a Pakistani court found him guilty of terrorism and sentenced him to death under the Pakistan Army Act. A higher court later upheld the decision. Subsequently, his appeals for mercy were rejected by the Supreme Court.
  • In 2012, Sarabjit petitioned once more to then Pakistan President Asaf Ali Zardari for mercy. This time, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

    Also Read | Pakistan sends back Sarabjit's belongings, keeps jail diary
  • In the same year, Pakistani officials indicated that Sarabjit could be released as part of a prisoner exchange with India. However, a different man was released in his place, raising the Indian government's ire.
  • In 2013, Sarabjit was attacked with bricks and iron rods by a group of inmates in Lahore, putting him in a coma. Several demands by the Indian government to move him to India for treatment, or to a third country, were rejected by Pakistan. Sarabjit died in Lahore on May 1.
  • In 2018, a Pakistani court acquitted Tamba and co-accused Mudassar
    of all charges in the case related to Sarabjit's death, citing lack of evidence, PTI had reported.

 
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HT News Desk

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