Sukhpreet Kaur (C), wife of Indian death row prisoner in Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh and Singh's daughter Swapandip (L), along with members of the Akhil Bhartiya Human Rights organisation (ABHRO), hold a candlelight vigil for the good health of Sarabjit Singh in Amritsar on April 27, 2013. PHOTO: AFP
Singh, who was sentenced to death 16 years ago on espionage charges, was rushed to hospital Friday with multiple wounds, including a severe head injury, after an argument in jail.
"Singh's condition is critical with multiple wounds on his head, abdomen, jaws and other body parts, and he has been put on ventilator," a senior doctor in Jinnah hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Singh is fighting for his life in the hospital's intensive care unit(ICU), and the next 24 hours are critical, the doctor said, adding that the head injury was "quite severe".
"He needs surgery but the doctors are not performing it because they don't want to take any chances and want him to stabilise," he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to facilitate provision of visas to Singh’s family members who may want to visit him in the hospital, said a foreign ministry spokesperson.
Singh was hit with bricks and other blunt objects by two inmates, a police officer investigating the case told AFP, identifying the suspects only by single names Aamir and Mudasir.
"These inmates attacked Singh while he was doing his evening walk. We don't exactly know at the moment what was the reason for this attack but initial investigation reveals that they had exchanged hot words with Singh," he said on condition of anonymity.
Singh's lawyer Owais Sheikh told AFP his client had received threats following the execution of Afzal Guru, who was hanged in New Delhi on February 9 for his part in an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001.
The attack on Singh was front-page news in Indian newspapers on Saturday, with Indian television stations running frequent updates on his condition and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh describing it as a "very sad incident", according to the Press Trust of India.
Singh was arrested following a bombing in Lahore in 1990 in which 14 people were killed.
He was sentenced to death after being convicted by a court on spying charges. His family has previously filed mercy petitions to Pakistani authorities seeking Singh's release.
Pakistan maintains he was an Indian spy, but Singh's family say he is a farmer who accidentally crossed the border into Pakistan while drunk.
COMMENTS (29)
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Let Pakistan President grant him the pardon! He is not an Evil, but a full blooded human and so are his loved ones. Let the President show his human side and I am sure he has plenty.
Rex Minor
@Salman:
So, a politically inconsequential vision impaired man ingests bathroom cleaning solution by mistake and that's your best reason not to trust India?
Pakistan was occupied by the anglo saxons, after independence they continue to send their children to anglo saxon schools and universities in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, who return to their lands with neo-con anglo saxons mind. The European Union in the mean time have more or less implemented the values of the scriptures and a legal system which assuers justice and fairness as well humane treatment for those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The capital punishment has been abolished. Pakistan must incoroporate the values of Islam and eliminate current carry over anamolies from the colonial past.
Rex Minor
Why should ET take more than 17 hours to release my plea of clemency(not yet appearing) of the President of Pakistan for the poor soul who as epoted eroneously cossed over the borde. I was hoping that my plea will reach Mr Zardari!
Rex Minor
@Polpot: You expect us to believe that? A country who gave acid to blind Pakistani batsman? :)
Oxymoron. Saving the life of a death row inmate
@sham: water bottle &sham u both feel bad n ashamed on what indians r doing in kasmir with un armed innocent peoples?we still don like individual act but u must have courage to condemend afzal gurus killing:
@naeem hussain: "Pakistani prisoners are always killed in Indian jails." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 90000 Pakistani soldiers that surrendered in East Pakistan to Indian forces were returned unharmed to their country.That is the Indian way of showing bravery.Get it?
@Riaz Khan
Pakistan is showing a lot of humanity by not executing him despite the clear-cut verdict of the judiciary. Its the indians without humanity and anti-muslim by executing people like ajmal kasab and afzal guru etc. Many of the pakistani prisoners were killed during their stay in jail. Do you think that this is humanity?
He deserved to be hanged after the judicial verdict. The indians done so to the ajmal kasab and afzal guru and to a lot of other pakistani prisoners as well. And if a few of them are returned to Pakisan, they are mentally retarded after leaving their jails or otherwise their dead bodies are returned with their mutilated bodies.
He is just injured and he is a proven terrorist. Pakistani prisoners are always killed in Indian jails. That is the Indian way of showing bravery.@Nitin:
Pakistani way of showing bravery ....
@Kashif to set him free in heavens? he is critically injured and with those kind of injuries he may not survive. So what are you talking about?
Why this Indian terrorist not hanged yet ?
He is a terrorist and carried out some brutal acts killing thousand people but still as a human being I do wish him a speedy recovery
Just few weeks ago , another Indian prisoner, Mr Chamail Singh, was beaten to death inside Pak prison by inmates. Its a brutal , shameful pattern.
To me, its look like a cover up to set him free.
"Singh was hit with bricks and other blunt objects by two inmates, a police officer investigating the case told AFP" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The previosu report stated that 4 Security officials were protecting Sarabjit Singh. See how that fabrication has now been dropped. Pls dont imagine that your readers are fools.
This act will increase Pakistan's unique reputation all over the world.
Shahbaz Bhatti , Salman Taseer or Sarabjeet Singh this is Pakistans way of doing justice without involvement of proper judicial procedure. In India , we spend Rs 50 Cr. on the security of terrorist like Kasab to protect him from any such incident so that he can be given fair trial.
@Water Bottle: "But it’s expected from the country that is formed on the basis of a lie" Water ( Paani) Sahib, I agree with your comment, and add few words, this country since decades, has been eating her own sons, like Greek goddess Midas. Khuda knows if he really did commit any crime, but given the record of Punjab police, even stone confess of anything for being framed. I pray and hope for his recovery.
Can you expect any fairness across border?
he is a terrorist not a spy, he was involved in bomb blasts killing many people
For the sake of humanity, please free this man! It was a very shameful act to injure a prisoner. The jail warden & other relevant staff must be severely punished. I am praying for his early recovery.
Well done boys. You did the job what our government could not do. He should be killed on spot in response to hanging of Afzal Guru.
A new invention has been achieved. India can kill people like Kasab, Afzal Guru with out any hesistation.
I don't know if he is a spy but he is definitely not a terrorist.
Who believes what Pakistan says except for a few million Pakistanis. Even other Pakistanis consider their judiciary, politicians and army as dishonest and incompetent.
Unfortunately, an innocent life is lost because a country chose to lie, as it always does. But it's expected from the country that is formed on the basis of a lie.