Pakistan prisoner case: Mir Hazar Khan Khoso asks India to ensure thorough probe

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has called on his Indian counterpart to personally look into an attack on a Pakistani prisoner in a jail in Jammu and ensure a thorough investigation.

Sanaullah Ranjay, a Pakistani national serving a life sentence was attacked in the prison in Jammu, a day after Indian national Sarabjit Singh succumbed to injuries sustained in a brutal assault within a jail in Lahore.

In a statement yesterday, Khoso expressed "deep concern" over the incident and noted that a large number of Pakistani nationals were incarcerated in Indian prisons.

He said many of these prisoners had completed their sentences but were awaiting repatriation.

"It is our expectation that the Indian government would ensure the safety of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails and also facilitate expeditious release of all those Pakistani prisoners who have completed their jail terms," Khoso said.

He said this humanitarian issue that affected the lives of scores of people should be addressed in the spirit it deserves.

Both India and Pakistan should continue to make sincere efforts to avoid occurrence of such incidents and focus on the safety and security of prisoners in existing forums under the bilateral dialogue process, he added.