Body of Pakistani prisoner killed in Indian jail handed over by BSF at Wagah
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The body of a Pakistani prisoner killed in India's Jaipur Central Jail was handed over to Punjab Rangers at the Wagah-Attari border by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday.
The deceased's family was present at the border to receive his body. Punjab's additional home secretary, retired Captain Fazeel Asghar, was also present as a representative of the Punjab government.
He will be laid to rest in his home town Daska in Punjab's Sialkot district, according to his brother.
The prisoner, identified as Shakirullah, was beaten up by inmates and died on February 20. The release of his body comes after 10 days of his murder.
According to Shakirullah's family, he was arrested in 2003 after mistakenly crossing the border.
Pakistan had lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani High Commission seeking clarity from Indian authorities regarding the incident.
The Foreign Office in a press release on February 21 said that they had been informed that Shakirullah had sustained injuries following a "scuffle" between fellow inmates in the television room of the jail, "which proved fatal".
The FO noted that as per some Indian media reports, Shakirullah was lynched.
"It is incomprehensible how a 'scuffle' between prisoners in an established Government set up was allowed to escalate to the extent that Mr Shakirullah sustained fatal injuries," the statement said.
According to The Hindu, the deceased was undergoing life imprisonment after his conviction in a terror-related case in Jaipur in 2017.
Shakirullah reportedly received serious head injuries caused by a blunt object after an "altercation" with other inmates, the publication added.
The release of the deceased prisoner's body comes a day after Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman — who was captured by Pakistan after his MiG 21 Bison aircraft was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jet — was handed over in a gesture of peace to India at the Wagah border.
There are 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, whereas 347 Pakistanis are languishing in Indian prisons, according to the lists exchanged by the two countries on New Year’s day.
'India must answer questions'
The Foreign Office issued a statement following the repatriation of Shakirullah's body.
"The Government of Pakistan condemned the incident and requested India to immediately provide the details of inquiry of the murder and post-mortem report, which have not been provided so far," read the statement.
"Pakistan reiterates its demand that the culprits must be taken to task, findings of the inquiry and post mortem report may be shared urgently and to ensure [the] safety of all Pakistanis, especially Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails to prevent recurrence of such tragic and reprehensible incidents," it added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal, urged India to provide answers regarding the incident in a statement posted on Twitter.
"Remains of Pakistani prisoner #Shakirullah, stoned to death in Indian jail repatriated to #Pakistan. [N]o response to #Pakistan’s request for post-mortem-judicial inquiry. Failure to protect [the] basic human right to life of Pakistani in its prison raises questions #India must answer," he wrote.
An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated that the body was released 12 days after the murder. The error is regretted.
