New Delhi: Days after Indian national Kirpal Singh died in a Pakistan Jail, the government is taking up the issue through diplomatic channels. India's Acting High Commissioner JP Singh met Director General (South Asia) in Pakistan Foreign Ministry in Islamabad following a directive from the Indian government in connection with death of Singh, who was languishing for nearly 25 years in jail in connection with a serial blasts case.
Singh's family met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the national capital on Wednesday. India has sought Kirpal's post-mortem report after Pakistan had cited heart attack as the cause of death. Kirpal's family was accompanied by Sarabjit Singh's sister, who was executed after languishing in Pakistan jail for years on suspicion of being an Indian spy.
"They (Kirpal Singh's kin) had come to meet me. I assured them we will try to get the mortal remains of Singh back to India as soon as possible. Pakistani officials have said the cause of his death was a heart attack. The post mortem will tell us if it was indeed a heart attack or something else, like it has happened with a couple of Indian prisoners who have died there," said Swaraj.
Refuting Pakistan's claim on the cause of death, Singh's sister said, "We got to know that Kirpal died in jail because of a heart attack. I can't believe that it was an heart attack. It's just like what happened to Sarabjit. I want his mortal remains to be brought back."
The family also called upon the Centre to declare Kirpal a "martyr" like Sarabjit Singh.
Singh, 50, was languishing in the Lahore jail for nearly 25 years on spying charges. He had allegedly crossed over to Pakistan through Wagah border in 1992 and was arrested. He was subsequently sentenced to death in a serial bomb blasts case in Pakistan's Punjab province.
Singh, who hailed from Gurdaspur, was reportedly acquitted of charges related to bomb blasts by the Lahore High Court but his death sentence could not be commuted due to unknown reasons.
His family also said they suspect that there was foul play leading to his death. In 2013, Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh died after being attacked by fellow prisoners at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.
Singh was found dead in his cell at Kot Lakhpat Jail in the early hours of Monday. "According to government of Pakistan, Kirpal Singh died on April 11 at 2:55 PM due to heart attack. We await further details," Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry Vikas Swarup said.
(With additional information from PTI)
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