Victory of crores of Indians: Sarabjit's sister on ICJ verdict

Chandigarh: Dalbir Kaur, the sister of Sarabjit Singh, who died in a Pakistan jail in 2013, today hailed the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) staying the execution of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, terming it as a victory of crores of Indians.

“It is victory of crores of Indians. It is also a victory for India and its government and the legal team which worked tirelessly in Jadhav’s case,” she said. Jadhav is facing the gallows in Pakistan after a military court summarily convicted him of espionage and engaging in subversive activities.

“Whatever Pakistan may say, they have been exposed before the world today. The ICJ order has come as a great relief not just to the family of Kulbhushan Jadhav but also to the people of India,” Dalbir Kaur told PTI over phone. After Pakistan military court’s decision, Dalbir Kaur had said that India should approach the ICJ.

“Approaching ICJ helped us. Pakistan does not have any proof against Jadhav, who is one step closer to his freedom,” she said. When asked that Pakistan has said it does not accept ICJ’s jurisdiction in matters related to its national security, Kaur said, “they have been exposed before the world, what else will they say. At least now they should learn from their mistakes.”

“They had thrown dice thinking they will let India down and defame us, but India put up Jadhav’s case strongly. Everyone knows that Pakistan breeds terrorism from its soil and they are involved in proxy war with us,” she said. Kaur’s brother Sarabjit had died following an attack on him by inmates of a Lahore prison in April 2013. He was convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court and sentenced to death in 1991. However, the government had stayed his execution for an indefinite period in 2008.

Dalbir Kaur lamented, “had the then government moved International Court of Justice in Sarabjit’s case, he would have been alive”. “Had ICJ been moved in Sarabjit’s case, he would have been amongst us today,” she said.