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Relatives of PoWs demonstrate

Relatives of the prisoners of war who are still in Pakistani jails held a demonstration in New Delhi on Tuesday and demanded their release with immediate effect.

Later they submitted a memorandum to the Pakistan Embassy to that effect.

Maninderjit Singh Bitta, chairman of All India Anti-Terrorist Front, who led the demonstration, accused the present and previous governments of failing in their duty to raise the issue with the Pakistanis in last thirty-six years.

"Some of them were taken prisoners in 1965 war and rest in 1971 war. I am sorry to say that our governments did not have the courage to take up the issue with the Pakistani government. We released 93,000 Pakistani PoW and could not get 54 officers of the armed forces released in return. It is a matter of shame," he said.

Former national badminton champion Damyanti Tambay, whose husband Flight Lieutenant Vasant Tambay is in a Pakistani jail regretted that the Indian government had never been serious about the release of the prisoners of war.

"As far as the summit is concerned we have been watching television only to see if the government is doing anything about the release of the prisoners of war. So far except for Vijay Kumar Malhotra nobody else had the courage to mention this point," she said.

Seventy-year-old Diwan Singh Sethi whose son Flying Officer T S Sethi was on bombing mission in the western sector when he was taken prisoner after his plane was hit by enemy fire said, "The Indian government did not know the correct date when he went missing. Pakistanis told us that he has been missing since September 13, 1965 and not September 14 as claimed by the Indian officials."

LD Kaura, another old man whose son Captain Ravinder Kumar is also in Pakistani custody said, "I hope the summit brings about the release of my son and others who have been in the Pakistani jails for over thirty years,"

Dr Bharat Kumar Suri whose brother Major Ashok Kumar Suri smuggled out letters saying he was in Pakistani prison wanted the government to make the release of the prisoners of war as the main issue for the summit.

"General Pervez Musharraf is an army officer and he would know better than anyone else what the soldiers families go through when they are captured during the wars. I hope he would restore the dignity of the soldiers by ordering their release. It would be better if he brings them along," said a hopeful Damyanti Tambay.

ALSO SEE:
Mr President, will you release my daddy?

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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