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Murder of a
prisoner Where there is emotion, there’s politics |
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From
flying pigeons to foreign dungeons
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Murder of a
prisoner Even at the peak of Cold War, the US and USSR exchanged spies arrested after their cover was blown. India and Pakistan cannot even begin to think of that as neither side would acknowledge any spies exist.
It was on July 8, 2010, that the US and Russia exchanged prisoners on the tarmac of an airport in Vienna, Austria. ‘Prisoners’, in this case, was euphemism for spies. Both countries, once bitter Cold War rivals, had accepted the existence of these men and women, and agreed on the swap, easing tensions for their families. Two years later, an event in India stood in sharp contrast to the Vienna exchange. A grey-bearded Surjeet Singh was freed by Pakistan after 30 years of imprisonment there. On June 28, 2012, he walked across the Radcliffe Line at the Attari-Wagah check post. On arrival, he declared: "I was a spy for India and had been sent there by the R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing)". India officially denied he was a spy. His son later got a job in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepore, and he was paid a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. For 30 years, Surjeet Singh, released at the age of 73, had remained a forgotten entity in the prisons of Pakistan. Just as the Russians and Americans who were ‘traded’ at Vienna in 2010, Surjeet Singh was also a civilian, not formally on the rolls of any organisation. However, unlike the US and Russia, India and Pakistan have not been able to agree on a system to exchange ‘prisoners’, arrested on the charge of spying. Surjeet’s release had come amidst confusion after Pakistan announced ‘Sarabjit Singh’ had been granted pardon and would be released. Later, Pakistan said there was a mistake, and it was Surjeet who was to be released. The confusion sparked a brief moment of celebration at Sarabjit’s home in Bhikhiwind. No owning up Last week’s killing of Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore prison by his fellow inmates has rekindled a debate in the security circles on how to ensure the dignity and security of life of men and women who work ‘behind enemy lines’. New Delhi does not recognise Sarabjit Singh as an agent hired by it, and someone who worked for the country. He is described simply as a man who crossed the border (there was no fencing at the time) in a drunken state, and was nabbed by the security agencies on the other side. Following his death, however, Sarabjit has been granted a state funeral by the Punjab Government. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attended the cremation, telecast live to millions of homes across India. Pakistan had convicted Sarabjit of carrying out blasts in Lahore, and he was sentenced to death. The list of persons claiming to have worked for Indian intelligence agencies is long. In 2011, Gopal Dass returned after decades in Pakistan prisons to narrate his story. Then there were Kashmir Singh and Daniel, just to name a few. In 1974, Mohan Lal Bhaskar had returned after years in prison. A decade later, he wrote a book "An Indian spy in Pakistan" in which he claimed his task was to get details on the nuclear programme of the neighbouring country. The novel, originally written in Hindi, has been translated into English by Jai Rattan. Acclaimed author Khushwant Singh noted in the foreword to the book: "Jai Rattan’s translation from the original Hindi reads very well. I can recommend it to readers who have the stomach to take in suspense and horror." Bhaskar’s son Gaurav Sagar says: "India neither has a policy to rehabilitate, nor does it acknowledge such work by spies. It is all pick and choose, and depends on the media attention." People simply serve their sentence and return, says Bhaskar. Alleging a callous attitude, he recalls: "In 1974, India asked for ‘Sohan Lal Bhaskar’ to be released, while Pakistan said it only had ‘Mohan Lal Bhaskar’ in prison. The release came about following efforts of Harivansh Rai Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan’s father), who was then working in Switzerland. He took pains to establish that the Bhaskars in the records of the two countries were actually the same man". Across a river The grouse is genuine, especially when we compare globally. During the Cold War, the USSR-US rivalry was legendary. Even as the KGB and CIA carried out their cloak-and-dagger missions, the two sides are known to have exchanged ‘prisoners’ four times between 1962 and 1986. The Glienecke Bridge — also called the "Bridge of Spies" — across the Havel river was the location of these exchanges. The bridge that links Berlin with Potsdam in Germany spanned the front line of the Cold War for three decades. Agents on either side were exchanged — and they simply walked across the steel bridge. The USSR even sent back British secret service agent Greville Wynne, in 1964, who is credited with having smuggled out Soviet nuclear secrets and ensured correct deployment of nuclear-tipped missiles of the NATO combine. As opposed to Wynne, the misfortune of men like Bhaskar, Surjeet Singh or Gopal Dass is that the two rival Asian neighbours do not even acknowledge the existence of spies. The lack of acknowledgement is reflected in the book "Mission Pakistan", written by former Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau Maloy Krishna Dhar, who has always maintained that it is a true story of an Indian undercover spy leading a double life inside the Pakistani armed forces. Dhar died last year. The story is based on Ravindra Kaushik, who hailed from Ganganagar in Rajasthan. Dhar has claimed Kaushik moved to Pakistan, converted to Islam, married a Pakistani woman, and joined that country’s army under the alias "Nabi Ahmed". In 1983, Inayat Masiha, an Indian intelligence operative who was captured by Pakistani counterintelligence agents, blew Kaushik’s cover. The undercover spy was arrested soon afterwards, and jailed in the Pakistani city of Multan. He reportedly died there in 2002, aged 50. He had even written a letter to his brother from prison. India has never acknowledged him, Dhar has said in his book. It may be a good time to deliberate how to acknowledge what everyone seems to know.
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Where there is emotion, there’s politics
The drama that followed the return of Sarabjit Singh — convicted by Pakistan of carrying out blasts in Lahore — in a coffin from across the border was not just about the life of an Indian citizen wasted amidst pain and misery. The apparent arousing of passions had as much to do with politics. Politicians of all hues in Delhi and Punjab, fighting for media space as well as a place in the hearts of the people, made more than the right noises. It was a ‘son of the soil’ who had been wronged by Pakistan as well as the Government of India. The Centre has tried to make amends after its efforts to secure Sarabjit’s release failed to yield result. The Congress poster boy Rahul Gandhi reached out to Sarabjit’s family and even attended the cremation. The Home Minister and the External Affairs Minister too made efforts to condole Sarabjit’s family. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur listed "efforts" made by her ministry to get Sarabjit repatriated, and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh declared Sarabjit "a brave son of the country".
Race for bytes There has been a constant tussle between the Centre and the Punjab Government to be seen more concerned about Sarabjit’s family. This was the natural consequence of the intense media focus on the issue, and neither wanted to seem ‘uncaring’. The Centre has had to make greater placatory noises, especially after Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur criticised the UPA government and its policies because of which, she alleged, her brother could not be freed from incarceration in Pakistan. The Centre was, however, able to pacify the family after Minorities Commission vice-chairman Raj Kumar Verka succeeded in arranging a meeting between them and Rahul Gandhi at his New Delhi residence. Verka was the point person for the Congress in Amritsar also when Sarabjit’s body was flown there from Delhi and then transported to his native village Bhikhiwind. There was politics over where the plane would be parked at Amritsar airport and who all would sit in the helicopter carrying the body onward to Bhikhiwind. Even during Sarabjit’s cremation, politicians from both the SAD and Congress jostled for photo opportunities. The Akalis were able to get the upper hand, with Khem Karan legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha controlling the makeshift stage at a ‘pandal’ erected near the cremation site. The party is likely to take charge of the bhog ceremony too. More ahead Sources say the handling of the Sarabjit case and the fate of his family is likely to have political implications in Punjab. The family belongs to the Dalit community. While a large section of Dalits has historically leaned towards the Congress, the Akalis have of late been wooing the community aggressively. Punjab has the highest concentration (28 per cent) of the Scheduled Caste population in the country. So both the Congress and SAD have to send out signals that they have done the most for the family. While the family is at present not taking sides, the Akalis have been able to have an edge in the matter not only because of the largesse bestowed on the family but also because they had little responsibility in getting Sarabjit released from the prison in Pakistan. The onus for that came on the Centre. However, the compensation money as well as the job announcements for the daughters are likely to boomerang on the Punjab Government, if former spies who have spent years in Pakistan prisons too demand similar benefits.
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From flying pigeons to foreign dungeons Sarabjit Singh, a high-profile Indian prisoner in Pakistan’s Kot Lakhpat jail, met a tragic end after remaining in incarceration for 23 years. The poor farmhand belonged to a non-descript town of Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. The son of a Punjab Roadways bus driver, Sarabjit had done his Class X from a local government school. He also used to repair the tractor he used to till the land of the farmer he worked for. His friends say he was teetotaller who had a drink on the fateful day, August 28, 1990, and strayed across the border. There was no fence on the Indo-Pak border then. Raising pigeons and participating in wrestling bouts at the local Gulzar Singh Akhara, it was a carefree life that he had. All that changed with his being charged with involvement in serial blasts that left 14 people dead in Lahore. The same year a Pakistan court sentenced him to death. The family argued he was a victim of mistaken identity. Pakistan had identified him as Manjeet Singh. His clemency petition was rejected by then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in 2008. The family, however, continued the battle. Even as the family feared hanging, no one had anticipated the brutal end that came upon Sarabjit, setting off a wave of emotion and outrage across the country. Sister’s struggle
Dalbir went across the border too, approaching rights activists like Asma Jehangir and Ansar Burney in her endeavour to get him back. She not only fought the struggle for his release but also stood like a rock with his family. A teacher by profession, Dalbir had been helping out Sarabjit’s family even before he was lost to Pakistan. The fact that she was extrovert and articulate made her the face of ‘save Sarabjit’ campaign on the national media. Whether it was confronting politicians or facing the camera, she did it with a resolve and clear speech and thought. No amount of travel would deter her. She took her campaign to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in May 2011, and even visited Ajmer to meet Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari when he visited the shrine in April last year. Little did she know her efforts would be of no use in the end. The silent sufferer
Away from the limelight, Sarabjit’s wife Sukhpreet Kaur (46) mostly stayed behind at the native village Bhikhiwind. She has been eking out a living by working as a temporary peon at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, for which she commutes around 100 km every day. She originally belongs to Sursingh village, 8 km from Bhikhiwind. Life without a father Swapandeep Kaur (25): The elder daughter has done her graduation in arts and has a diploma in computers. She is married in Jalandhar. She worked for a while, but is not employed at present. She was over two years old when Sarabjit crossed over to Pakistan. Poonam Kaur (23): The younger daughter was just 23 days old when her father was lost. She has done a diploma in art and craft and one in computers. She lives with her mother. — Perneet Singh
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Even at the peak of Cold War, the US and USSR exchanged spies arrested after their cover was blown. India and Pakistan cannot even begin to think of that as neither side would acknowledge any spies exist.
The
Akalis went a step further, pulling out all stops in bestowing
largesse on the bereaved family. The family has been promised Rs 1
crore (the Centre had announced Rs 25 lakh), besides being assured
that both daughters of Sarabjit will be given government jobs. The
SAD-BJP government also scored a political point by announcing a
three-day State mourning, a State funeral for Sarabjit and even moving
a resolution in a specially convened Assembly session to declare
Sarabjit a "national martyr". There may be more to come as
the state government had also decided to bear the expenses for
Sarabjit’s bhog ceremony.
Sarabjit
could well have languished in Pakistan jails just as hundreds of other
Indians had it not been for his gritty and courageous sister Dalbir
Kaur (54), who single-handedly fought the legal battle for her brother’s
return. From knocking the doors of top politicians, including the
Prime Minister, to staging dharnas and offering prayers at shrines,
she left no stone unturned.