After the return of Kashmir Singh and deferment of death sentence for a month, the villagers of Bhikhwind hope of their good days coming, writes Ashwini Ahuja
A HOPE SUSTAINS LIFE
Bhikhwind, a town, just 8 km away from international Indo-Pak border and about 45 km far away in the north of Amritsar in Punjab is these days a popular name in both Indian and International media because of its connection with Sarabjit Singh whose life is at stake in Pakistan jail.
The allegation of the Pakistan government is that he is a spy and his name is Manjeet Singh, not Sarabjit Singh and sure enough, he is involved in bomb blasts in Pakistan cities that took fourteen lives, therefore, he has been sentenced to death in Pakistan.
Although the punishment has been deferred for a month thanks to the efforts of the family, media hype and Indian government pressure. The family heaved a sigh of respite. If Kashmir Singh can return from Pakistan after 35 years of captivity why not Sarabjit Singh? There is a glimmer of hope in every eye, either it the youngster or the oldie.
The media man who drops in the village, it is same question everybody in Bhikhwind village asks him when Sarabjit will come back to the village. Last week, when I visited the village, it was the same question they asked me.
On being talked, almost all the people around the Bhikhwind area say that Sarabjit Singh is innocent and has been falsely implicated by Pakistani spy agencies but foreign ministry says that it has a proof regarding his involvement in the bomb blast, moreover, according to foreign ministry spokesman, Singh too has confessed to carrying out bombings in Lahore, Kasur and Faisalabad but the villagers don’t believe in their bluff.
Days back, nearly five thousand people of the area held a rally demanding clemency for the Indian prisoner in Pakistan jail. Shops and business establishments were also shut down to build pressure on the government.
To prove the real identity of Sarabjit, his wife Sukhpreet Kaur has given to the Indian authority the voter list carrying her husband’s name and bank documents which prove Sarabjit identity as a farmer in Bhikhwind in Punjab.
Moreover, his two daughters Sapandeep Kaur and Poonam and Sister Dalbir Kaur are also trying their best efforts to save Sarabjit’s life and they robustly have put up their case before the Indian authority and Pakistan authority through media with a challenge if they did not get justice and Pakistan carried out execution they would hang themselves from a rope tied to the roof of their home.
Human right activist in Pakistan Asma Jahangir too had assured them of finding the justice. The government of India is quite hopeful of Sarabjit coming back after the new government in Pakistan sworn in.
If we look back the history of Bhikhwind village, in the year of 1971, at the time of Indo-Pak war, a large number of Patton tanks were captured here, so this village was named Patton Nagar and it was a popular name for some years. Like Gurdaspur and Ferozepur borders, too, in this boarder village straying into Pakistan was then commonplace.

Sarabjit accidentally crossed the border line because there was no wire fence separating the two sides but for the border was demarcated by a few equidistant stones. Some people of the village too accepted that the hiring of young men by intelligence agencies for spying service is also a commonplace thing in all border districts of Punjab. Due to lack of employment opportunities in the state, there are chances of youngmen being baited by intelligence services.

For years, both Pakistan and India always accused the border belt people of espionage who by mistake strayed across the border. As Pakistan government has bargained two captives in Indian jail in exchange of Sarabjit Singh but despite the denial of the Indian government, the Pakistan government might release Sarabjit Singh as a goodwill gesture. Both countries earlier have freed several prisoners as part of improvement in bilateral relations. It was the general opinion of the villagers.

One of the villagers told me the story of Sarabjit’s disappearance. He recalled it was the 28th August of 1990. Sarabjit had gone to his labour work. No doubt, he drank but was not such horrific type who could engage in bomb blast. He was poor daily wager then.

That day, he was working on a construction site which was close to the border. After dinner, he drank with his fellow labourers and went for sleep outside the room. Then in inebriation, he began to roam around the area and forgot he had crossed the line. He meandered into Pakistan side.

Next morning, when he did not return, a couple of his friends went looking for him but he was not found anywhere. Actually, he had strayed into Pakistan, one of the old villagers said confidently. After some days, they got information regarding his arrest in Pakistan on the charges of spying and engineering bomb blasts in Pakistan cities.

One oldman in the village, who knows Sarabjit family since he was a twelve year child, says that Sarabjit is naïve. If the Pakistani authority says that Singh has confessed his disruptive activities in Pakistan, they must have put words into his mouth forcibly. In other country, with coercion, police can do even impossible things and Sarabjit might have been coerced to speak whatever they wanted.

There is a lot of different between India and Pakistan, he adds. On one hand, Pakistan government is much dogged to finish Sarabjit Singh just on the basis of coercive confession and on the other hand those who are directly involved in the attack on parliament house are getting the opportunity of proper trial from the Indian government. I feel pained to see the stark contrast between two countries.

I noticed Sarabjit’s younger daughter Poonam who was preparing for class 10th examinations a bit confused over the emergence of more and more people in the family. Sarabjit’s wife who was facilitated a class IV job by the former chief minister Amarinder Singh had soured relationship with the Sarabjit’s sister because of scanty financial help, about which 16 year Poonam, the younger daughter of the family seems to be unaware.

She was just one month old when his father had meandered to Pakistan. His elder daughter reportedly had been moved to Delhi taking up Sarabjit’s case with her bhua (Sarabjit’s sister). It was also murmuring that some prominent residents of the village to whom the family expected a lot did come out with a little help.

What will you after passing the examination? On being asked Poonam came out with smart reply- journalist, who works on television. People know my face now. It seemed that the electronic media had left an indelible impression on her. But she was worried about her mother about who she says that she had got a fresh lease of life after hearing the news of postponement of death sentence.

After Kashmir Singh’s return after 35 years in captivity, we still have a hope, Sarabjit too would come back. Moreover, Kashmir Singh was spy but Sarabjit is not. He is the victim of fate, one young man Jaswant Singh told this writer. He told that there are my youths like Sarabjit who are working hard on harvesting the crops of other landlords or constructing houses for a pittance.

There are chances any intelligence agency tempts them by offering lucrative jobs of spying or like that for neighboring countries but these agencies does not pay for always. When the situation turns ugly, they forget they had occupied the man for espionage services. Didn’t you hear Kashmir Singh’s version. In his absence, no pension and stipend was ever given to his family. It is nothing but for unethical cheating with our poor youngsters.

I was also told there are also some farmers whose land is separated between the Indo-Pak boundaries. If one wishes to go to other side of his field he has to depend on the mercy of the Pak Rangers and BSF soldiers accompanying with him. And the entry is allowed between 9 am to 5 pm. When relations are tense, the entry is restricted. If one strays into the boundary, it is not uncommon because the houses on both sides look alike. There were more and more talks but seeing hope in their eyes, I am sure they would succeed in their mission.