Sister of Sarabjit Singh, killed in Pakistan jail, dead

Tarn Taran, June 26

Dalbir Kaur, the sister of Sarabjit Singh who succumbed to injuries after being beaten up by inmates in a Pakistan jail in 2013, died on Sunday. She was 67.

She had hit the headlines when she led a vociferous campaign for the release of her brother from the Pakistan jail, where he had been lodged since 1991 after being accused of being involved in a string of bomb blasts in that country’s Punjab province.

According to her family, Kaur had complained of chest pain on Saturday night and was taken to a private hospital in Amritsar where she died.

Poonam, daughter of Sarabjit Singh, said Dalbir was already suffering from lung infection for the past one year.

The moment she was admitted to the hospital, the doctors described her condition as critical and she was shifted to the ICU, where after a few minutes she was put on a ventilator.

Poonam said Dalbir Kaur was declared dead by the hospital after a few hours.

The last rites were performed in the afternoon in Bhikhiwind, her native town in Tarn Taran district.

Sarabjit (49) was convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death in 1991. However, the Pakistani government had stayed his execution for an indefinite period in 2008.

Dalbir Kaur not only waged an intense battle to bring her brother back to India, but also fought for the daughters of Sarabjit Singh. She managed to get a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family, besides government jobs for both daughters of Sarabjit Singh. Actor Randeep Hooda, who essayed the role of Sarabjit in the biopic, attended the last rites.

Was suffering from lung infection

Dalbir Kaur (67) had complained of severe chest pain on Saturday night and was taken to a private hospital in Amritsar where she died. Poonam, daughter of Sarabjit Singh, said Dalbir was already suffering from lung infection for the past one year.