Wives of jailed Indians seek Modi's help with Pakistani visa

Worried over the health condition of their spouses in Pakistan jails, wives of three Indian fishermen have requested to be granted visit visas, the Press Trust of India reported.

The three women - Gangaben, wife of Bhagwan Solanki; Amritaben, wife of Amritlal Vaishya, and Vanitaben, wife of Dipakbhai Bamania - have written a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his help in acquiring Pakistani visas on humanitarian grounds.



They have pleaded with the PM to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart and request him to grant visas to them so they can inquire about their husband’s health.

Gangaben pointed out in the letter that her husband was severely ill which she learnt from other fishermen released by Pakistan in March this year.

She alleged that the Pakistani authorities had not communicated to her about her husband’s deteriorating health which makes it obvious that they were hiding something.



In April, a 50-year-old Indian prisoner, convicted of death sentence and imprisoned for the last 24 years in Kot Lakhpat jail, died under mysterious circumstances at Jinnah hospital.

Kot Lakhpat jail sub-inspector Nafees said that the victim’s condition deteriorated and he was shifted to Jinnah hospital for treatment. However, he could not survive and died despite remaining in the intensive care unit for three hours. Police shifted the body to the morgue for autopsy.

Kirpal Singh was arrested by Pakistani law enforcement agencies on February 29, 1992 when he illegally crossed the border. He was charged with bomb explosions and spying and was awarded death sentence by the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2016.