Reports about the suspension of several Pakistani jail officials after the brutal assault on Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh last week have turned out to be eyewash as authorities are yet to take action against anyone in Kot Lakhpat Jail.
Immediately after the assault on Sarabjit by other prisoners, officials had told the media that three or four prison officials, including the assistant superintendent, had been suspended.
However, official sources told PTI that not a single official of the prison has been suspended from service so far.
The caretaker government of Punjab province has only issued notices to seven Kot Lakhpat Jail officials, including Superintendent Mohsin Rafiq and Additional Superintendents Ishtiaq Ahmed Gill and Sawar Sumera, to explain why action should not be taken against them for failing to protect Sarabjit.
To the surprise of many, an inquiry into the incident by Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Prisons) Malik Mubashir pinpointed several security lapses but did not fix responsibility on any one.
Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Najam Sethi and his administration have been tight-lipped about the incident and no formal statement on the assault has been issued by anyone in the provincial government.
Mr. Sethi has neither condemned the incident nor taken action against Inspector-General of Prisons Farooq Nazir for failing to provide protection to Sarabjit.
Instead, the provincial government barred officials in the prison and Jinnah Hospital, where Sarabjit has been admitted, from speaking to the media on the issue.
