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Pak activist, Ansar Burney, who fought for the release of Indian death row prisoners Kashmir Singh and Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan, was deported back to Dubai from New Delhi on Friday night.

It was reported that a “look-out” notice against him was issued which lead Burney, the leading Pakistani human rights activist, to deport back from the Indira Gandhi International Airport by an Emirates Airways flight at around 2030 hours.

Home Ministry officials, however, could not say who had issued the notice against Burney and in what connection. Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said Burney’s deportation could have been due to “some mistake”.

After his deportation, Burney’s son disclosed this information to some journalists in Delhi through an e-mail.

Burney had visited India in April this year and he had met Sarabjit’s family in Amritsar. He had also met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on April 8.

Burney had successfully secured the release of Kashmir Singh, who spent 35 years on death row in a Lahore jail, on February 20 this year as President Pervez Musharraf approved his mercy petition filed on the Indian’s behalf by the Human Rights ministry.

Airport sources said the reason given to Burney for deportation was that he had wrongly mentioned his port of embarkation.

Burney is doing his best efforts to save Indian nation Sarabjit Singh, blamed for bomb blasts in Lahore in 1990, who took away 14 lives. It was his efforts that led to Pakistan government’s indefinitely postponing execution of Sarabjiit earlier this month.

Tags: Burney, India, Kashmir Singh, Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh

Sixty seven year old Kashmir singh after returning from Pakistan jail after 35 years admitted on Friday that he was an Indian spy and all he did was to serve the country. but he regretted that successive Government had not done anything for his family.

“After my arrest in 1974, the successive governments did nothing for my family. I did the duty assigned to me as a spy, but the government, after my arrest, did not bother to spend a single penny for my family. Government did only paper work” he stated.

Kashmir Singh thanked to god for being kind with him. he claimed that various Governments at the centre had not done anything for the Indian prisoners in Pakistan.

He refused to tell about the route he chosen to enter Pakistan and whether Military Intelligence send him there. He told that even Pakistan officers were unable to get this information from him. He was given only Rs 400 as salary that time and went to Pakistan for his responsibilities toward the nation.

Kashmir Singh was lodged in 7 different jails in Pakistan. he refused to tell anything about the hard days he passed there as it can trouble similar 100 prisoners in Pakistan jail.

“I can only say that I am a firm believer in God and even offered namaz and kept roza (fast) in the Pakistani jails,” he said.

His wife, Param Jeet Kaur was also accompanied with him and she said, “After my husband’s arrest, she run the home by working in others house.”

She said, “The Central government gave no compensation to the family”.

Singh said he was known by the name ‘Ibrahim’ in the prisons. “I was kept in solitary confinement and remained chained for 17 long years”, he said.

Earlier, Kashmir Singh along with his wife met Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Badal announced a pension of Rs 5000 per month each to Kashmir Singh and his wife Parmajit Kaur as they are special national heroes. Badal also promised to grant a government job to one eligible dependent of Kashmir Singh. The chief minister also announced to construct a house for Kashmir Singh and his family in Mahilpur.

Tags: India, Kashmir Singh, Pakistan

Kashmir Singh is back to his nation after spending 35 long years from Pakistan jail. He was released from the Lahore Central jail on Monday around 9 pm (IST) and reached the Attari border to reunion with his wife and other members.

Now 67, the 32 year old Kashmir Singh was arrested in Pakistan in 1973 and sentenced to death in an espionage case. He had spent nearly 35 years there. Many other Indians are imprisoned in Pakistan jail. Another similar Indian Sarabjeet Singh is also passing his painful time in jail. Kashmir Singh admitted that he met Sarabjit Singh.

On Monday, Paramjit and Shishpal were joined at Attari by the sisters of Indian prisoner on death row Kirpal Singh, Dalbir Kaur, Jagir Kaur and friend Gurmeet Sandhu. “We will talk to Burney when he comes here with Kashmir and plead for our brother’s release,” they said.

He was pardoned by President Pervez Musharraf on February 28, was given a lingering farewell on the Pakistani side of the border before he finally made his way into India. There was heavy media persons gathered at Attari border assuring the kin of Kashmir Singh for his return.

Pakistan’s human rights activist Asma Jehangir, who was in Amritsar to hold talks with various religious leaders, demanded the abolishing of capital punishment. “We will begin a campaign against death penalty after the formation of a new government,” she said.

“I have no wishes left. I have got everything now. I thank President Pervez Musharraf and Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney,” Singh said as he arrived at the border.

Singh thanked Pakistan people and the Government and said that this is now a new life for him. He asked similar steps for Pakistani prisoners in India.

Tags: India, Kashmir, Kashmir Singh, Pakistan