Khalid’s body sends shock waves across nation
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
LAHORE: The arrival of the body of Khalid Mahmood from India after the Pakistan government released a convicted Indian spy has sent shock waves across the nation besides upsetting human rights activists who supported the release of the spy.
A county cricketer, Khalid Mahmood visited India in 2005 to see a cricket match where Indian agencies arrested him after finding him without passport. Indian authorities took the youth into custody on charges of espionage and later awarded him death.
His brother Ubaid Ullah talking to The News criticised the government of Pakistan for not taking notice of the killing of a Pakistani by India and that too after Pakistan released the Indian spy, Kashmir Singh. He said they had to even hire the ambulance that brought Khalid's body to the dead house for a forced post-mortem, as the bereaved family insisted otherwise.
"We were informed by government officials that our brother had died a sudden death in an Indian prison exactly an hour after the return of Kashmir Singh to India. Federal Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney along with other Pakistani officials saw Kashmir Singh off as if he were a hero," Ubaid said. He said Burney had also said to receive the body of Khalid at the place where he let go the Indian spy but no government official turned up.
Khalid's elder brother Siddiq said they tried to ring Ansar Burney but all his contact numbers were switched off. They would not forgive him (Burney) on the Judgment Day, he added.
He said Khalid had sent them a couple of letters and messages from the Indian prison to the effect he had been facing torture at the hands of Indian authorities. "My mother, younger sister and the youngest brother went to see Khalid in the Indian jail in November 2006 and found him unable to walk or speak properly because of the torture inflicted on him. We wrote letters to different Pakistani ministers and the officials concerned to take up the matter with the Indian authorities at a proper level but to no avail," Siddiq said.
He said his family considered the Pakistan government responsible for his brother's death as it remained busy obliging Indians by releasing their spies instead of talking about its own citizens.
"Khalid told his mother and siblings that Indians were torturing him gruesomely as they had pulled his nails, used to pour hot water on his head making him bald, put to electric shocks his feet, tongue and other sensitive parts keeping him hand-cuffed," he said. He added they brought those facts to the government's notice but all those gory details could not move Pakistani officials to take any action.
He said Khalid was a pious person and offered prayers five times a day. He was arrested by Indian officials after he lost his documents in Munali.
He informed his family that they wanted him to admit that he was involved in Bombay bombings and other violence in India. He told his mother that their torture would kill him.
Khalid's body was handed over to Pakistani officials Monday evening in the presence of law-enforcement agencies and his kinsfolk. The body was then taken to the dead house where, according to the relatives, officials were delaying his post-mortem.
According to the information provided by the duty officer at Batapur police station, Khalid, 25, a son of Abdul Hakeem, was a resident of a village Islam Din near Batapur. His father had already died. A school teacher, he was fourth among nine brothers and three sisters.
Khalid's best friend and neighbour Naved Hussain told The News that Khalid was a cricket fan right from his childhood and his craze for seeing a cricket match between India and Pakistan cost him his life.
He said he was the captain of their local county's cricket team and used to organize cricket tournaments. Besides being friendly, he said, Khalid was an innocent person who could not be involved in activities like espionage. His friends among whom he grew up knew him very well; he was not that type of person, he added.
Burney was contacted on his mobile phone numbers 0333-5234313, 0300-8243460 and 051-9202400 but he could not be contacted for comments. On the other hand all major human rights organizations including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) kept silent on the issue.
Online adds: Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Sadiq expressed resentment that the Indian government had concealed Khalid's death. He said the death of Khalid was regrettable as the Indian government deliberately kept the Pakistan government ignorant about the incident in sheer violation of human rights. "We have been informed after 20 days of his death which is not only violation of human rights but also against the moral and religious norms," he said.
He said the government of Pakistan was in close contact with the Indian authorities, and would make the facts public if any progress was made. About the release of Kashmir Sindh, the spokesman said the release was made purely on humanitarian grounds, in the light of Islamic teachings and expecting reciprocity from India.
Khalids body sends shock waves across nation
