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Sarabjit Singhs lawyer takes refuge
in Sweden: report
DAWN.COM
Updated at
2013-09-30 16:34:03
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Awais Sheikh, the counsel for
Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who
was murdered in Lahore's Kot
Lakhpat jail in May 2013, has taken
permanent refuge in Sweden, the
Times of India reported.
Sheikh took refuge in the
Scandinavian country following his
alleged abduction bid near Lahore a
day before Singhs death.
Singh, who was sentenced to death
16 years ago on espionage charges,
died at Lahores Jinnah hospital
after lying in a comatose state for
five days following an assault on him
in Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sheikh and his son Shahrukh were
allegedly abducted from their
Bedian Road farm on May 16 and
were released three and half hours
later.
Sheikh was known for fighting cases
of Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails
and had also written a book on the
life of Singh titled Mistaken
Identity.
Speaking to the TOI over telephone
from Sweden on Monday, Sheikh
said: "Sweden has granted me
permanent stay along with my family
and has also provided me all
facilities and security after taking
note of my abduction and physical
torture."
The lawyer claimed that his life was
under constant threat in Pakistan
from people and organisations
inimical to India-Pak friendship.
In his interview with the TOI , Sheikh
mentioned a letter written by Zohra
Yusuf, chairperson of the Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan, on
May 3 to Najam Sethi, who was the
caretaker chief minister of Punjab at
the time, for providing security to
the counsel and his family.
Sheikh claimed that the letter was
ignored by the provincial authorities.
Sheikh did not elaborate as to what
he was doing in Sweden except that
he was just settling in the new
place, adding that however, his
family felt secure in the
Scandinavian country.
Prisoners of war
During the telephone interview,
Sheikh, who also heads an NGO
called Pakistan-India Peace
Initiatives, quoted an incident of
meeting a 1971 prisoner of war
(PoW) Sepoy Mangal Singh of 14
Punjab Regiment in Central Jail,
Lahore.
Sheikh said his intention in referring
to Mangal Singhs case was not to
defame Pakistan but to remind and
convince both countries to realise
their moral and international
obligations and free all POWs with
immediate effect.
Islamabad has always denying the
presence of any PoWs in Pakistani
jails.
In 2008, the then federal minister
for human rights, Ansar Burney, had
told reporters that the Indian High
Commissioner had handed him a list
of around 100 missing Indian PoWs
in Pakistani jails and that the
Pakistani government was working to
resolve the issue.
Also in May this year, Burney had
written to Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif to conduct a probe on
whether there were any Indian PoWs
in Pakistani jails. However, no
development on the issue has since
come to light.
At the end of the 1971 war, New
Delhi and Islamabad signed the
Simla Agreement under which the
countries were obliged to release
soldiers that had been taken as
PoWs. However, to date, there have
been reports that both countries
continue to hold some PoWs that
had not been released.
There has been no official
acknowledgement of such prisoners
source. dawn.com
in Sweden: report
DAWN.COM
Updated at
2013-09-30 16:34:03
Share
0 Comment(s)
Awais Sheikh, the counsel for
Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who
was murdered in Lahore's Kot
Lakhpat jail in May 2013, has taken
permanent refuge in Sweden, the
Times of India reported.
Sheikh took refuge in the
Scandinavian country following his
alleged abduction bid near Lahore a
day before Singhs death.
Singh, who was sentenced to death
16 years ago on espionage charges,
died at Lahores Jinnah hospital
after lying in a comatose state for
five days following an assault on him
in Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sheikh and his son Shahrukh were
allegedly abducted from their
Bedian Road farm on May 16 and
were released three and half hours
later.
Sheikh was known for fighting cases
of Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails
and had also written a book on the
life of Singh titled Mistaken
Identity.
Speaking to the TOI over telephone
from Sweden on Monday, Sheikh
said: "Sweden has granted me
permanent stay along with my family
and has also provided me all
facilities and security after taking
note of my abduction and physical
torture."
The lawyer claimed that his life was
under constant threat in Pakistan
from people and organisations
inimical to India-Pak friendship.
In his interview with the TOI , Sheikh
mentioned a letter written by Zohra
Yusuf, chairperson of the Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan, on
May 3 to Najam Sethi, who was the
caretaker chief minister of Punjab at
the time, for providing security to
the counsel and his family.
Sheikh claimed that the letter was
ignored by the provincial authorities.
Sheikh did not elaborate as to what
he was doing in Sweden except that
he was just settling in the new
place, adding that however, his
family felt secure in the
Scandinavian country.
Prisoners of war
During the telephone interview,
Sheikh, who also heads an NGO
called Pakistan-India Peace
Initiatives, quoted an incident of
meeting a 1971 prisoner of war
(PoW) Sepoy Mangal Singh of 14
Punjab Regiment in Central Jail,
Lahore.
Sheikh said his intention in referring
to Mangal Singhs case was not to
defame Pakistan but to remind and
convince both countries to realise
their moral and international
obligations and free all POWs with
immediate effect.
Islamabad has always denying the
presence of any PoWs in Pakistani
jails.
In 2008, the then federal minister
for human rights, Ansar Burney, had
told reporters that the Indian High
Commissioner had handed him a list
of around 100 missing Indian PoWs
in Pakistani jails and that the
Pakistani government was working to
resolve the issue.
Also in May this year, Burney had
written to Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif to conduct a probe on
whether there were any Indian PoWs
in Pakistani jails. However, no
development on the issue has since
come to light.
At the end of the 1971 war, New
Delhi and Islamabad signed the
Simla Agreement under which the
countries were obliged to release
soldiers that had been taken as
PoWs. However, to date, there have
been reports that both countries
continue to hold some PoWs that
had not been released.
There has been no official
acknowledgement of such prisoners
source. dawn.com