Days after Afzal Guru’s hanging in February, Sarabjit Singh had handed over a list to a Pakistani investigation officer containing names of fellow prisoners who had been threatening to kill him, at Kot Lakhpat Jail where he was being held, Sarabjit’s lawyer in Pakistan Awais Sheikh has revealed.
Curiously, the authorities immediately transferred the CID officer responsible for ensuring additional security to Sarabjit, suggesting that the conspiracy to kill the Indian prisoner was hatched with the active support of the Pakistani establishment.
Speaking to Express over the phone from Lahore, Awais Sheikh said he had not seen the names of the prisoners handed over to the CID officer but was present with Sarabjit when he handed over the handwritten note requesting extra security citing a threat to his life.
“I will get the record from Pakistan’s Interior Ministry to find out details of the CID officer and action taken by authorities on Sarabjit’s request. I will also ask for Sarabjit’s handwritten note from government records to ascertain if they have arrested the real culprits. The incident of assault on Sarabjit is suspicious and it should be thoroughly probed,” Sheikh told Express. Asked if state actors were involved in the fatal assault on Sarabjit, Sheikh said it was a matter of investigation and did not rule out the involvement of jail officials. Kot Lakhpat Jail has 17,000 prisoners, including 36 Indian nationals.