Imprisoned for last 23
years, in an enemy country,
surrounded by fellow inmates, who are always ready to swoop on him at the
slightest clue or provocation, living with the curse of a (possible) mistaken
identity, the life of Indian prisoner named Sarabjit Singh has been thorny
enough to be injured at the mere thought of it.
As I am
discharging my thoughts through my keyboard, this gentleman Sarabjit lies on the
ground to be cremated at Bikhiwind, a village situated 23 kms from Amritsar in
Punjab. This martyr of India was brutally assaulted in a jail in Pakistan – a country
in which lives fade and fall much faster than the petals of flower on a windy
day. This incident has brought tempest as far as the relationship between the
two countries are concerned.
Sarabjit was
one such unheeded pain, beating mutely in the soul of India. The silence just
got louder, when a group of his jail mates with knives, iron rod and other
sharp metal objects pounced on him in Pakistan`s Kot Lakhpat jail. Having
suffered serious skull fractures made him stay at Jinnah Hospital for a couple
of days. This dreadful incident symbolizes the fault lines in our country’s
policy on its citizens in Pakistani jails.
Sarabjit’s only
hope was his sister - Dalbir Kaur and the incessant prayers of his sister and
two daughters for the last 23 years.
His sister
continued campaigning painlessly for her brother’s release for more than two
decades, and has left no stone unturned in striving for her brother’s release.
Her voice fell in deaf years, both in India and Pakistan. She kept her tiring and
exhausting efforts on by running post to pillar for her brother, but of no
avail.
I feel touched
when the news channels write in bold red, ‘Sarabjit is Dead.’
No one knows
the truth of Sarabjit’s life. Not me, nor you.
The fact to focus on is,
even if he was one of the spies working for Indian government, shouldn’t our
government rethink its strategy on spies and other innocents who go astray near
Indo-Pak border and end up meeting indescribable fates? Because there are many
more Sarabjit’s in Pakistani jail’s who are fighting hard to come back to
India.
Rest in Peace, Martyr
Sarabjit Singh !
(PS: The views expressed by
me are PERSONAL)
