Sarabjit Singh’s sister denied visa by Pak

Pakistan has denied a visa to Sarabjit Singh’s sister who wanted to visit him on Raksha Bandhan, on Tuesday. Singh, an Indian, was sentenced to death in 1991 by a Pakistani court for his alleged involvement in the 1990 serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan that killed 14 people.

He has been in jail since then. His family maintains he crossed the border in a drunken state and was caught.

The sister, Dalbir Kaur, told DNA she applied for the visa three weeks ago and got a sympathetic response on compassionate grounds.

“Even the Indian foreign ministry assured me that they would put in a word to their Pakistan counterparts, but the visa was refused.

The Pakistan high commission forwarded my plea to Islamabad, but no instructions came from there. This has robbed me of an opportunity to tie a rakhi on my brother’s wrist,” Kaur said.

“I am hopeful that Pakistan will reconsider my plea allowing a visit at a later stage.”