Sarabjit critical, family wants to bring him home for treatment

Sarabjit Singh's family members crossed into Pakistan at 12-30 p.m. on Sunday through the Wagah border crossing

Dalbir Kaur (right), sister of jailed Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, arriveswith his daughters at the Jinnah Hospital in Lahore to visit him on Sunday.

Pakistan on Sunday night granted a second consular access to the Indian High Commission officials stationed in Lahore to monitor the condition of death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh on life support in Jinnah Hospital.

Singh’s condition remained very critical with doctors apprehensive of his chances of survival from the severe head injuries inflicted on him by fellow inmates of Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail. His wife, two daughters and sister — who crossed into Pakistan through the Wagah border crossing around noon — met him twice; once soon after arrival and then again at night.

From Wagah, they were taken directly to the Intensive Care Unit of Jinnah Hospital which has been declared a sub-jail for the duration of Singh’s stay there. Speaking to the media, Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur made a plea for allowing the family to take him to India for treatment.

While arrangements had been made for two family members to stay in the hospital, all four opted to stay in a city hotel where rooms had been booked for them by the Indian High Commission. According to Singh’s lawyer Awais Sheikh, the family decided against taking up the hospital administration’s offer since no attendants were allowed inside the ICU. The local administration is providing security to the family in the hotel and during their travel within the city.

As for his condition, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has been informed that he remains in coma and is critical. Apart from the information provided to the Indian mission, there is no official word on his condition.

The Dawn newspaper quoted doctors attending on Singh as stating that chances of survival were slim. He has a critical bone fracture and a haematoma (a localized collection of blood outside the blood vessels) which would require surgery but the three-member medical board is waiting for his condition to stabilize before taking a call on a surgical intervention.

Earlier in the day, the Indian mission approached the Foreign Office after consular access was denied to its two officials sent to Lahore on Friday to provide assistance to Singh. The two mission officials, who have been in Lahore since the wee hours of Saturday, were denied a second visit on the premise that permission granted on Friday was only for one consular access. They last met him at 2 a.m. on Saturday soon after arrival in Lahore.

In a late night statement, the Foreign Office said that the second consular access had been granted and the Indian officials were advised to coordinate with the Deputy Chief of Protocol of the Ministry in Lahore and the Medical Superintendent of Jinnah Hospital.