Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 10: The families of Prisoners of War today demanded the release of Subedar Assa Singh and all Indian prisoners lodged in different jails of Pakistan.
“We want all the Indian prisoners lodged in Pakistan jails to be released including Subedar Assa Singh, who went missing in 1971 Indo-Pak war,” families of Prisoners of War told reporters here.
They demanded that the Government of India must take up the matter with Pakistan regarding the release of Indian prisoners.
“We also want the release of Subedar Assa Singh, who was serving in the Indian Army at Chhamb Sector in Tehsil, Akhnoor of Jammu and Kashmir at the time of Indo-Pak war of 1971,” the families said.
They said Assa Singh was declared as killed in action on December 6, 1971 vide a telegram but on December 19 and 20 in 1971, radio Pakistan announced well being of Indian prisoners of war and Subedar Assa Singh also personally appeared on the radio broadcast, where he declared that he was a captive in Pakistan jail and not dead.
“Assa Singh’s wife Nirmal Kour made all efforts to establish the fact of his captivity, but the exercise proved futile,” they said.
Some of the released Indian prisoners from Pakistan Jails also confirmed his presence in Pakistan jail but authorities when approached with information, always denied and were not given concrete commitment for release of 54 Indian Prisoners of War from jails in Pakistan.
In 2004, the then Defence Minister Parnab Mukherjee also informed Rajya Sabha that 38 prisoners of war are captive in Pakistan jails and in the year 2008, the former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaff, while in India, promised to allow the relatives of Indian prisoners of war to visit Pakistan Jails to verify their presence.
“Nothing concrete has been done so far despite our hard efforts. Both the Governments should find an alternate and release all the POWs,” the families added.
Meanwhile, the families of Prisoners of War also paid tributes to Chamel Singh and Sarabjit Singh-who were tortured to death in Lahore’s Lakhpat Jail.
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