The fact that eleven Indian prisoners in Kot Lakhpat jail of Pakistan have jointly written a letter to the Indian Human Rights Commission and not to the Government of India speaks tons of their resentment of the Government of India for taking no steps for their release even when they have completed the jail term. Who in India does not know that Pakistani jail authorities brutally torture Indian prisoners and contrive their liquidation? The cases of Sarabjit Singh and Chamel Singh, both of whom were murdered in this prison house, is well known. The letter signed by eleven prisoners and clandestinely smuggled out of the jail is a saga of barbaric treatment and inhuman torture perpetrated against the Indian prisoners. The signatories have said that Pakistani authorities allow them neither to live nor to die. They have pleaded that Pakistani authorities are persuaded to put them to death and thus bring to an end their life of misery and pain.
Nobody knows the total number of Indian citizens who are languishing in the said jail. The letter, of which we possess a copy, says that there are no fewer than 17 other Indian prisoners who have been rendered mentally imbalanced and deranged owing to prolonged torture. There are some females among them also and they are in such a bad state that they cannot even sign the letter. Some of them have already completed the term of imprisonment and are overstaying since three or four years. Indian Government is not concerned about them and does not take any step to seek their release on humanitarian grounds. Joint Indian-Pakistani Judicial Committee visited the Lakhpat Jail thrice on June 13, 2008, April 22, 2011 and April 30, 2013. Despite that, the Indian Government did not take any step to ensure that Indian prisoners are not tortured. The letter discloses that a day before writing the letter, an Indian named Zakir Ahmad son of Mumtaz Ahmad died owing to non-availability of medical treatment.
It will be reminded that in connection with the visit of the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to Ajmer, the Indian Government had released a Pakistani prisoner named Dr. Khaleel Chishti. He had been convicted in a case of murder. It was believed that Pakistan would reciprocate the good will and release Sarabjit Singh. That never happened and Dr. Chishti returned to his home a free person. The jail authorities in connivance with other internees murdered Sarabjit in the Kot Lakhpat.
The Government of India will have to respond to the situation that has been reported about Indian prisoners in Lakhpat jail. Torture of a jailed person is disallowed by international law. It is a legal as well as human issue. Indian Government should have taken up the case with Pakistani authorities with all seriousness. They could also approach the UN Human Rights Commission for intervention. They can reach international human rights organizations to visit Kot Lakhpat and ensure that Indian prisoners are not subjected to acute torture leading to mental derangement or death. Pakistani authorities have to be exposed in the eyes of all human rights organizations around the world. That alone will seek justice to the prisoners especially those who have completed their term of imprisonment. The letter signed by eleven prisoners and smuggled out clandestinely should be made a document on the basis of which international body can be asked to conduct a probe into the treatment of Indian prisoners and suggest remedial measures. The jail authorities responsible for perpetrating torture and other inhuman and criminal acts should be brought to book. This matter is to be taken up by the Home and External Affairs Ministries.
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