After 23 yrs in Pak jail, Sarabjit returns amidst tears & anger

After 23 yrs in Pak jail, Sarabjit returns amidst tears & anger Opp Tears Into ‘Weak’ Govt, PM TIMES NEWS NETWORK  Lahore/New Delhi/Amritsar: After 23 long years, Sarabjit Singh finally returned to his homeland, but in a coffin. The murderous attack on the Indian prisoner on death row in Pakistan’s Lahore jail, which led to his death, triggered countrywide anger on Thursday. The surcharged atmosphere has not only dealt a heavy blow to the prospects of improved ties with the estranged neighbour but also exposed the government to a fresh round of attacks for pursuing a “weak” foreign policy.      Even as Sarabjit was virtually proclaimed a martyr with the Punjab government deciding to accord him a funeral with full state honours and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declaring him a “brave son of India”, anger against Pakistan spiked with slogans of “Pakistan hai hai” (down with Pakistan) reverberating in both Houses of Parliament.     Both Houses observed silence and passed resolutions mourning Sarabjit’s death in Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital in the early hours of Thursday, at once propelling the man – who India maintained was an innocent man who had strayed into Pakistan in a state of inebriation – into the pantheon of patriots.     A resident of Bhikiwind village in Amritsar, Sarabit was charged and convicted by Pakistan for allegedly killing Pakistani citizens in a bomb attack. He succumbed to serious injuries inflicted on him by fellow Pakistani prisoners in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail. The brutal attack on a death row convict, who is supposed to be kept in complete isolation, smacked of connivance by the Pakistani jail authorities.     While this had already fueled outrage, the fact that the Pakistani authorities did not consult India before taking him off the life support system added to the anger. Foreign ministry spokesperson SyedAkbaruddin was unusually direct when he commented on the conduct of Pakistani authorities: “We wanted Sarabjit to live for as long as possible. We never were consulted about removing Sarabjit’s life support system.”  FORGOTTEN IN LIFE, FETED IN DEATH  Sarabjit, in coma since attack on him by inmates at Lahore Jail on Apr 26, dies of cardiac arrest around 1am on Thursday Body flown to his village, Bhikiwind, in the evening. State funeral on Friday Rahul Gandhi, Sushilkumar Shinde meet Sarabjit’s family members, promise all help Punjab govt promises Rs 1 crore to family, govt jobs to daughters; declares 3-day mourning. Sarabjit’s last wish was for his daughter Swapandeep to become a lawyer Govt comes under attack from Sarabjit’s family, opposition. Accused of inaction and an ineffectual foreign policy CRIME & PUNISHMENT CHARGE AGAINST HIM | Arrested in 1990 under the name Manjit Singh. Accused of being a spy and sentenced to death for bombings in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990 HIS DEFENCE | Family says it was a case of mistaken identity; Sarabjit was not Manjit. Says he crossed border into Pakistan on Aug 8, 1990 in a drunken state      I am deeply saddened. Those behind     the barbaric and murderous attack must be brought to justice —MANMOHAN SINGH There was a need for pressure on Pakistan. But Delhi govt left it to his family. Sarabjit’s sister cried for help, but Delhi did not show its power —NARENDRA MODI Zardari killed my brother for (victory in) elections. I will fight for the other Sarabjits languishing in Pakistani jails     —DALBIR KAUR | SARABJIT’S SISTERPak cold-shouldered pleas made on humanitarian grounds: PM  Lahore/New Delhi/Amritsar: Conspiracy theories about Sarabjit Singh’s death were rife on Thursday, with few believing Pakistan government’s account that the prisoner died of cardiac arrest. The Punjab government has ordered a second postmortem after the body was brought by a special plane to Amritsar. In Pakistan a judicial inquiry has been ordered. Sarabjit’s cremation is scheduled for 2pm on Friday.     The depth of resentment was reflected when the usually mild-mannered Manmohan Singh, who has been a votary for better bilateral ties with Pakistan, contributed to the groundswell of anger against the Pakistani authorities when he pointed out that they had cold-shouldered impassioned pleas for Sarabjit’s release on humanitarian grounds.     “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,” the PM said even as his government came under attack for failing to secure the prisoner’s release.     Singh also lavished praise on Sarabjit, whose death is certain to become a political issue. “I am deeply shocked by the passing away of SarabjitSingh. He was a brave son of India who bore his tribulations with valiant fortitude,” Singh said.     Saying the nation shared the grief of Sarabjit’s family, he added, “May his soul be granted the peace he could not get in life.”     Singh’s generous tribute was part of a larger process of canonizing Sarabjit, a dalit from Amritsar, while the Akali government in Punjab was furiously matching the Centre’s efforts to champion the sentiment.     As the Centre showed rare vigour to dispatch an Air India plane to bring Sarabjit’s body to Amritsar, the Punjab government, apart from deciding to give him a “state funeral”, announced jobs for his two daughters. An assistance of Rs 1 crore was also announced for the family.     However, the uniform solidarity for Sarabjit failed to put a stop to partisan fingerpointing, with Gujarat CM Narendra Modi accusing both Indian and Pakistani governments of “misleading people” on Sarabjit’s case. He accused Pakistan of having carried out “extra-judicial killing”, and stressed that the neighbour could not be trusted.     “Sarabjit’s extra-judicial killing is yet another grim reminder that expecting Pakistan to follow due process of law in any sphere is futile,” Modi posted on Twitter even as he accused the Centre of being unable to give a fitting answer to Pakistan’s “inhuman acts”.     His party chief Rajnath Singh asked for the recall of the Indian high commissioner in Pakistan and scaling down of diplomatic ties, while leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj termed the death a “cold blooded murder”.     The Akalis, who were already attacking Congress for the acquittal of 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Sajjan Kumar, kept up the pressure, with both chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his daughter in-law Harsimrat Kaur attacking the government for failing to be tough with Pakistan over Sarabjit.     The bickering, however, only added to Sarabjit’s newfound status as a braveheart and a patriot who was killed by Pakistan on trumped up charges. TV channels ceaselessly showed Sarabjit’s elder sister Dalbir Kaur swaying their audience with her attacks on Pakistan, tugging at the heart strings of many. By the time his body came back, the unfortunate dalit from Bhikiwind village loomed large over the horizon, dwarfing all else, as the latest symbol of what many saw as Pakistan’s hostility and duplicity.