54 Indian PoWs of 1971 war still in Pakistan

By Shahnawaz Khan

LAHORE: The families of 54 missing Indian defence personnel are still waiting to meet their loved ones, who for the past 33 years are believed to be in Pakistani jails as prisoner of war (POW) Daily Times learnt on Monday.

Seventy-year-old Nirmal Kore, the wife of Assa Singh, is still waiting for her husband to return from a war that took place 34 years back. Assa Singh, a Subedar in the 5-Sikh regiment, is believed to be in Pakistan as a POW since 1971.

Assa Singh’s son, Harcharan Singh, is convinced that his father is still alive. Harcharan Singh said that Bhogal Ram, another soldier, was released from Pakistan in 2000 and had seen Assa Singh alive at the Kot Lakhpat jail. Harcharan was five when his father left for war and the growing up was hard. He said, “My mother had to undergo a lot of suffering. The landlord snatched away our land and the government provided no financial aid, job or land.” He added, “My mother is suffering from health problems. The government has done nothing to ensure the release of my father. But what happened has happened I have lost my childhood, my family has undergone pain and agony; now my only wish is to meet my father and embrace him.”

Sixty-year-old Kanta Devi echoes such a story of waiting, longing and desperation. Her husband Subedar Kali Das has not been seen since the 1971 but, after the war, she heard on Pakistan Radio that he was caught alive. Kanta is confident that her husband will return one day. She said, “I will offer a heavy gold ring at the Kali temple, go to Vaishno Devi and take a dip in the river Ganges with my family upon his return”.

“Raising four sons and two daughters was not easy. I got my children educated and married from the Rs 300 pension that I received. There was no other support from the government,” said Kanti.

That Rs 300 has been increased to Rs 5,000 but that is little consolation to Kanti’s family of two widowed daughters and two unemployed sons. “It is ironical that the country for which my husband fought has no time to listen to us,” she said. Her son, Ramesh Kumar, 39, remembers the days without a father. “I used to work in shops overtime so that I could pay my school and college fees. The Kargil heroes were given millions in addition to other benefits like lands and jobs but what about the heroes of the 1971 war?” he asked.

Bansi Lal, the son-in-law of Jagdish Lal of the 2nd Mahar regiment, showed a letter from the Mahar regiment written in 1972 to prove how insensitive the government has been. The letter reads: “Application for grant from the disabled army personnel widows and orphan fund was placed before the welfare committee but regrettably because of lack of funds, your case has been rejected.”

An official of the Missing Defence Personnel Relatives Association (MDPRA) said, “After the war 2,238 Indian defence personnel were missing. After the Simla Agreement of 1972, India returned all the 93,000 Pakistani POWs. However, only 617 Indian POWs were returned by Pakistan.”

He said that the treatment of Indian POWs was the ‘biggest violation of international human rights by Pakistan’. MK Paul, the vice president of MDPRA, has filed a petition for their release with the International Red Cross in Geneva and with Human Rights Watch in New York.

Rajesh, a relative of an Indian POW, said that in September 1996, the then minister of External Affairs IK Gujral had said 54 missing Indian defence personnel are believed to be in Pakistan. He added that Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee noted in the Sainik Samachar journal of September 2004: It is estimated that 17 army officers, two junior commissioned officers and 19 other ranks (ORs) are currently in Pakistan jails.

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