Indian on death row in Pak for 35 years freed

Yeh khabar padhne ke baad to mere rongante khade ho gaye...the man lost all his youth.shame on us...

The families of 54 missing Indian defence personnel are still waiting to meet their loved ones, who are believed to be in Pakistani jails as prisoners of war (POWs) for the past 36 long years. Seventy-year-old Nirmal Kore, the wife of Assa Singh, is still waiting for her husband to return from a war that took place 36 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.

In 60 years of independence, India has fought wars in 1962, 1965, 1971 and recently in Kargil. A proxy-war has also been going on for a long time. Twenty thousand Indian Jawans have died in these wars. Since 1971 war, 54 Indian heroes are still rotting in Pakistani jails for the last 36 long years while their families struggle to persuade our good for nothing politicians to do something for their release. Despite all their sacrifices, it has seemingly not occurred to us to build a memorial in their memory. Instead, we have devoted several acres of land to the memorials of politicians belonging to the ruling party (I don't include Gandhiji, who was not part of any political party towards the end of his life). Not only that, national attention and energy is spent in visiting these memorials on birthdays and death anniversaries. The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate was built by the British to commemorate the dead of the armed forces who fought in First and Second World War. Thus, those whom we have used like cannon-fodder, those who stood steadfast at the borders while we were safe in our homes, have not been commemorated in national memory. They are largely relegated to the dustbins of history. Can the sense of outrage all thinking people will have on this issue be channelled towards ensuring that the Indian State meets its obligations to the country's armed forces in a fair and transparent manner?