Sarabjit Singh, sentenced to death, spent 22 years in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail after being convicted of espionage and terrorism. In 2013, he was killed in an attack by fellow inmates. Now, after 11 years, Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, one of the assailants, was reportedly shot dead by unidentified motorcycle riders in Lahore, local media stated.
Sarabjit Singh Attwal hailed from Bhikhiwind, situated along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district. Married to Sukhpreet Kaur, he had two daughters – Swapandeep and Poonam Kaur. His sister, Dalbir Kaur, tirelessly campaigned for his release from 1991 until his demise in 2013.
He was convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for his alleged involvement in a series of bombings in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990, resulting in the deaths of 14 civilians. Additionally, he was charged with terrorism and espionage. However, India maintained that Sarabjit Singh was a farmer who had inadvertently crossed into Pakistan months after the bombings.
In 1991, he was sentenced to death, although Pakistan postponed the execution multiple times.
Mr. Singh remained in the high-security prison until April 26, 2013, when he was assaulted by fellow inmates, including Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, reportedly a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s founder, Hafiz Saeed.
Subsequently, he was admitted to Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital in a critical condition, having sustained severe brain injuries, a broken spine, and falling into a coma after being attacked with sharp objects by his fellow inmates.
Despite efforts, doctors indicated that his chances of recovery were slim. His sister and wife visited him in the hospital before returning to India upon learning his coma was irreversible.
On April 29, 2013, India appealed to Pakistan for his release on humanitarian grounds or for permission to transfer him to India for medical treatment, but these requests were denied.
Six days after the assault, he passed away due to a heart attack on May 1, 2013, while still in the hospital.
His body was repatriated to India via a special aircraft, where Indian doctors conducted a second autopsy in Patti near Amritsar. They concluded that he had been deliberately attacked with the intent to kill.
Furthermore, it was noted that his vital organs, including the heart and kidney, had been removed, possibly during the initial autopsy performed in Pakistan.
