They are called "the missing 54" - Indian soldiers forgotten in the fog of past wars with Pakistan, and who appear to have slipped through the cracks of the rival neighbours' troubled history.
chander suta dogra , (The Wire ) .
India and Pakistan have twice gone to war over territory fief in the disputed region of Kashmir - in 1947-48 and in 1965. Then, in 1971, Pakistan lost a 13-day war to India, resulting in its eastern half - separated from the rest of the country by more than 1,600km (990 miles) of India - set-apart as the sovereign nation of Bangladesh.
India believes the 54 soldiers went missing in action and are held in Pakistani prisons. But more than four decades after they disappeared, there's no clarity over their numbers and fate.
Last July, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government told parliament there were 83 Indian soldiers, including the "missing 54", in Pakistan's custody. The rest are possibly soldiers who "strayed across the border" or were captured for alleged espionage. Pakistan has consistently denied holding any Indian prisoners of war.
EVIDENCE PERTAINING TO THEIR CAPTURE
1
):- In a book published in 1980 titled “Bhutto- Trial and Execution” written by Victoria Schofield, a senior BBC London reporter, covering the period 1978 when Bhutto was detained in Kot Lakhpat jail, Lahore. Page No. 59 reads: ‘‘(Bhutto’s) cell separated from a barrack area by a 10 foot high wall, did not prevent him from hearing horrific shrieks and screams at night from the other side of the wall. One of Bhutto’s lawyers made enquiries amongst the jail staff and ascertained that they were in fact Indian Prisoners of War who had been rendered delinquent and mental during the course of the 1971 war.”
‘‘.Fifty-odd lunatics were lodged in the ward next to mine. Their screams and shrieks in the dead of night are something I will not forget,’’ wrote former Pakistan prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, referring to Indian Prisoners of War of 1965 and 1971 who were kept in a cell next to his in Kot Lakhpat prison."
2):- The name of Major Ashok Suri was mentioned on January 6 and 7, 1972 in Punjabi Darbar programme of Lahore. His father also received letters from a Karachi jail on August 13th 1975 dated June 14/15/16th 1975 stating that their were 20 other officers with him there.
3):- Mohanlal Bhaskar, who was in a jail between 1968 and 1974 and repatriated on 09.12.1974 wrote a book ( I was a spy for India) and gave a signed affidavit stating that in Fort of Attock, A Pakistani Major Ayaj Ahmed Sipra (imprisoned for conspiring against Bhutto) spoke of his befriending a Gill of the Indian Air Force and a Captain Singh of the Indian Army as well as mentioning that there were around 40 Pows of the 1965 and 1971 wars in that jail who had no chances of release.
4):- Mukhtayar Singh, who was repatriated from Pakistan on July 5, 1988, says Captain Giriraj Singh is still lodged in Kot Lakhpat jail. Singh also reportedly saw Captain Kamal Bakshi in Multan jail around 1983. He says Bakshi could be either in Multan jail or Bhawalpur jail. There are numerous other such eyewitness reports.
5):- Flight Lt. V.V. Tambay’s name was published in the Pakistan paper, Sunday Pakistan Observer on December 5, 1971 as Flt Lt Tombay. It said five Indian pilots were captured . Pakistan did not include his name in the list of Pows and the Indian government forgot to secure his release. Daljit Singh, repatriated on March 4, 1988, said he had seen Flight Lt. Tambay at the Lahore interrogation centre in February 1978.
6):- The name of flying officer Sudhir Tyagi, whose plane was shot down near Peshawar on December 4, 1971, was announced over Pakistan Radio the next day. Ghulam Husain s/o Hayat Dutt who was repatriated from Pakistan on 24.03.1988 said that he had seen F/O Tyagi at Shahi Qila, Lahore in 1973.
7):- Flt Lt Harvinder Singh’s name was announced on 05.12.1971 on Pakistan radio that he had been captured.
8):- Capt Ravinder Kaura’s name was announced on Lahore radio on 07.12.71. Mukhtiar Singh who was repatriated on 05.07.1988 said that Capt Kaura was in Multan jail around 1981 and was in Kot Lakhpat jail later.
9);- Wing Commander H.S Gill’s plane was shot down over Badin on 13.12.71. Pakistan radio gave news of his capture the same day. Subsequently the news was reported to be incorrect and Pakistani authorities mentioned that a plane was shot down over Badin but the identity of the pilot could not be ascertained till after the war (How could his correct name then be announced on the same day?).
10):- Flt Lt Sudhir K Goswami’s plane was shot down over Sarghda on 05.12.71 at about 7.00pm. the same day at 11: 30 pm Radio Lahore announced his capture.
11):- Maj SPS Waraich’s name was reportedly announced on 5/6th Dec 1971 as being captured after he and Maj KJS Sandhu were captured on 03.12.1971 from the Husaini wala sector. He was subsequently reportedly seen in Multan jail in January, 1988 by Mohinder Singh s/o Banka Singh who was repatriated on 24.03.88. He says he saw him again in Kot Lakhpat jail in February, 1988.
12):- Time magazine dated December 24, 1971, carried a photograph of Indian prisoners behind bars. The photograph turned out to be that of Major A.K. Ghosh, who did not return with the rest of the POWs.
13):- Lt Paras Lal Sharma: His father heard his particulars being announced on Pak radio on Jan 2nd, 8th and November 29th. L/ Nk Ram Lal (retd) ( no 9071130) of erstwhile 2 JAK Militia after his return from Pakistan said that he had met 2nd Lt Paras Sharma in Lahore jail for 5 days from 20.04.73 to 24.04 73 while awaiting his repatriation to India.
14):- Balwan Singh, an Indian prisoner who returned home to India on 03.10.1998 after 9 years in Pakistan prisons claims to have met Indian POWs of the 1971 war. He said there were seven jails in which the POWs were rotated. He distinctly remembered one of the POWs as Jagdish Raj Chandra who was being kept in “Phansi ki Kothi”(Fort of Attock) with other POWs. (LNk Jagdish Raj figures in the list of 54 POWs).
15):- General Yeager of the American an Air Force has written a book of his role in the Pakistan human rights commission and has written of his interviewing about 20 Indian pilots of the 1965 and 1971 wars who are still lodged in Pakistani prisons.
16):- James maclaren , a london- based writer has given a completely status of the indian pow in pakistan jail . he says that in late 2003 , a canada based human right representative had gone to kot lakpat jail near lahore to meet sarabjit was called out by the pow's claming to be held form 1971 war and were still in-carceratedin the pak jail but was denied contact with them by the minders the group had learned that many of them have died
17):- When the family of Pow's has visited the Pakistan jail many of the security guard had privately attested that the men being alive and have been kept at multan jail for serval year
one of the worker has said to the delegation that they are in the basement .
18):- A Pakistani General : General Riaz, Governor N.W.F.P who subsequently died in an accident informed Mr. Ashwini Kumar, then IG of the Border Security Force as a personal favour to him at the Munich Olympics in 1972 that Major Waraich was being held in Dargai jail, NWFP.
19):- Havildar Dharam Pal Singh of Bathinda’s Lehra Dhurkot village was posted near the border of bangladesh and was captured by the pakistan army was declare as matyr but later a Pakistan prisoner who was retrived said that that he was in the same jail
20):- Major sandhu at that time had writen leter to then Pm Indira gandhi for their repatriation . a photo stated letter was posted to his wife Jasbir Sandhu
Jasbir Sandhu futhure claimed in the tv interview that when the goverment of india have sent ourself to pakistan there we got to acknowledge by sweper that they are kept in pakistan .
JASBIR SANDHU (2007)
India today
.Evidence Pertaining To Capture Of Ashok Suri detail account .
Diary of Ashok suri father Dr R.S. Suri’s diary, father of Major Ashok Suri, captured in the 1971 war. The Army had declared Major Suri as "Killed in action". Then on December 26, 1974, R.S. Suri received a hand-written note dated December 7, 1974 from his son. The letter contained a slip in which his son had written, "I am okay here." The covering note read, "Sahib, valaikumsalam, I cannot meet you in person. Your son is alive and he is in Pakistan. I could only bring his slip, which I am sending you. Now going back to Pak." Signed M. Abdul Hamid, the postmark was New Delhi, December 31, 1974.
"In August, 1975, he received another missive postmark dated ‘June 14/15/16, 1975, Karachi.
’ The letter said, "Dear Daddy, Ashok touches thy feet to get your benediction. I am quite ok here. Please try to contact the Indian Army or Government of India about us. We are 20 officers here. Don’t worry about me. Pay my regards to everybody at home, specially to mummy, grandfather – Indian government can contact Pakistan government for our freedom." The then Defence Secretary had the handwriting confirmed as Ashok’s and changed the official statement from "killed in action" to "missing in action"!
Chander Suta Dogra has quoted this information in an interview with karan thapar :_
Major Ashok Suri father's Dr.Suri who has child hood friend in Pakistan as dr.suri has migrated form Sialkot (Pakistan ) to india during independence got in touch with Gilani his childhood friend Gilani had one of his relative in pakistan army who use to actually bring out the information of major ashok suri to his father Dr. suri where his soon was held .
Dr. suri later shared this information with one of the officer of M.E.A Satendar lamba who later had became Indian diplomat to pakistan but nothing was done and later satendar jain has admited his information with me in an interview for outlook
Chander suta dogra
(the wire)R.S. Suri spent the rest of his life making weekly trips to the MEA where everyone got to know him well. He worked with the government, careful not to involve the media because MEA officials advised him that the missing servicemen were in danger of being killed if they did so.
Flt . Lt V.V Tambay detail account :-
Ft. Lt. VV tambay was captured alive on december 5 1971and was kept in karachi jail . the fact was acknowledged in pakistani newspaper and radio : however he was not repatriated when the war ended .years later in 1989 tambay's uncle mr. Jayant jatar had gone to pakistan with under 19 cricket team and there he had happened to meet Gen tikka khan , the butcher of east bengal ; gen tikka took him to faisalabad jail .There he saw a man dressed in the kurta - pyjama sitting on the floor and reading newspaper he instantly recognised his nephew but he was not allowed to speak to him
In an tv interview Jayant remembers how he had made request to genral tikka :-
i had told him i am not intrested in politics......and only wanted to know that if his nephew was dead or alive I also told him that it was the wish of tambay's grandmother , then he was 92 years old to see his the genral tikka said "theek hai "
the next day i was picked by army offical in 7:30 form chenab club in faisalabad in a black heavily tinned car ( then called lyallpur ,) where the team was resting after the journey form Gujaranwala
driving for half an hour
there i saw tambay seated in one of the cells lining the long hall of a big yellow building . " I was monitored to the prison who was reading the newspaper , who turned to face us when i have coughed to draw his attention.....it was my nephew His moment seemed to be normal he seemed to be treated well .... he was wearing a white bengali kurta and payjama there wasn't much change expect his long hairs and slight beard he said
as i was not allowed to speak i tried to point out the indian flag logo in my jersey and writing j in his palm however i was abruptdly interrupted
Mr. Jayant jatar
Flt lt vv tambay uncle"s
2002
Another person by name Daljit Singh, repatriated on March 4, 1988, said he had seen Flight Lt. Tambay at the Lahore interrogation centre in February 1978.
An officer name T.A yusuf , told her that he had seen his husband in 1974 along wjth other defence personal
.Evidence Pertaining To Capture Of Major Waraich.
A radio broadcast of radio Pakistan said in urdu, “ Major Waraich hamari hiraasat mein hain.” ie Maj Waraich is in our custody. It also said 2 JCOs and 34 jawaans of 15 Punjab were held by them. These men returned but the 2 officers did not return
Mr . Ashwini Kumar, then IG of the Border Security Force who had gone to Munich with the Indian Hockey team found out through Col AI Dara, then manager of the Pakistan Hockey team at the Munich Olympics as a personal favour to him at the Munich Olympics in 1972 that Major Waraich was being held in Dargai jail, NWFP.
Col Dara got this information from Gen Riaz, Governor Balochistan. Major SPS Waraich s name is first in the list of 40 Missing defence personnel (later expanded to 54) by Samarendu Kundu , Minister of State for external Affairs in 1979 in the Lok Sabha in reply to a question number 6803 by Amarsinh Pathwa.
Col Habib Tanwar wrote a book in 2015 ” Kaiser e Hind – Battle of Husainiwala” where he said Maj Waraich was captured by a Havildar Khizr and later killed in friendly fire. However, on enquiring from him directly , he said he had only heard this and did not even know the name but correlated when asked about a Maj S.P.S Waraich in 1972 after the war by Maj Lehsarab Khan. Hence this account is debatable.
Pakistan view point :-
foreign Minister of Pakistan in India said in an interview that they knew of no Indian army men in their jails. Then he went ahead to say that if they were there maybe they were under assumed names!
Who Is Responsible ?
What sort a nation are we that forgets it’s soldiers after the war is over? Was it not the collective responsibility of the nation to pressurize the governments to take this issue more seriously? After all, these PoW are somebody’s sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. Every nation and society is morally obliged to ensure that those fighting for it’s independence are looked after well in their hour of need. There can be no need more urgent than being released from the inhuman captivity of an enemy like Pakistan.
After the war the ruling class and he elite got busy trying to ‘improve relations’, they very conveniently swept this issue under the carpet. Over the years the self appointed elite that has dictated the agenda of the nation has all but deleted this issue from the collective consciousness of the nation. We are too busy trying to prove that ‘art has no borders’ ‘sports has no borders’ and such nonsense that will never find any reciprocity from across the border. To uphold such thrash, issues like the prisoners of war had to be forgotten and they were forgotten.
The military top brass too should have followed up more aggressively on this issue with the government. They were and are in a position to exert pressure on the government for this. Agreed, there were other pressing issues but this issue too is equally pressing and urgent.
All in all, the entire nation is responsible for this and this is an unforgivable fault. Nothing can be done for these 54 now except making Pakistan acknowledge that such a thing has happened. But we can and must ensure that such a thing never happens again.
What the Govt of India says about our POWs ?
Both country challenge the number of the missing soldiers form the other side held in their custody both can't denied their fact of long 54 Missing Defence Personnel (MDP) of 1971 and 1965 Indo-Pak war are believed to be in the jails of Pakistan. Pakistan has not acknowledged the presence of Indian missing defence personnel in their jails till date. The Government took up the matter with Pakistani Government for sending a delegation of families of the MDP on a visit to various jails in Pakistan to facilitate identification of Indian MDP.
Accordingly, a delegation of 14 relatives of the MDP visited 10 jails in Pakistan from June 1, 2007 to June 14, 2007. The delegation could not conclusively confirm the physical presence of the Indian MDP."
(Indian MDPs consist of 28 men from the army, 24 from the air force and two others whose details are not fully known.)
Latest Devlopment in the missing 54 case :-
Lance naik Jaspal singh who was a soldier form15th punjab regiment was declare killed in action by his unit in the battle of Husani wala in the western front . His family had thought he had died and he had continued getting pension
Sometimes in the year 2012 ; a poor daily wager carpenter named sukhdev singh who was employed at oman for 2 years and had worked at the country porana jail in messariah island had meet Lance naik jaspal singh in the porana jail Jaspal singh came to him and told everything about how he was held capture on the 5 th december at hussani wala masacre
he was kept in pakistan prision for 5years he was transfered to messariah prision where he continued for languishing till now .
Ham nascare gayae thae na udhar jo purana jail hai udhar kam karnae mere ko jaspal singh milae vo mere ko punjab kae barae mae puch rahae thae tu kidhar sae hai usnae mere ko apnae family kae barae mae bataya or jo adress mujhae usnae bataya tha usi kae jariyae mae idhar paucha
Sukhdev singh
News-X 2012
Author view :-
The Pakistan’s government’s contention all along has been that it does not have any Indian prisoners of war and had invited their relatives to identify any such prisoners. A small group of relatives went to Multan jail in 1983 to identify any such prisoners in the hope that it would give the Pakistan government a way to release these men by going along with their assertion that they didn’t know about any defence personnel and these men may be there under other assumed names and if identified they may be allowed to return home. However, the exercise proved to be one of futility as the Pakistan government refused to show all Indian prisoners under all categories. The security prisoners were not shown. Now of the 54, even if one presumes that half lost their mental balance due to the trauma and the hardships and were unable to say who they were, not all can be assumed to be incapable of identifying themselves.
Second :and more importantly, these men were captured in uniform, most of them carried identification and most of their names were announced on Pakistan radio(details given below). If on capture, they were identified, it is unlikely that they would later get lost in the prisons. Surely the Pakistan jails have some system of identifying and recording details of prisoners. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MEN WHOSE CAPTURE WAS ANNOUNCED? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PERSON WHOSE PHOTOGRAPH APPEARED IN TIME MAGAZINE AS A PRISONER ON 27.12.71? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PERSON WHO MANAGED TO SEND A LETTER TO HIS FATHER IN 1975 YEARS AFTER THE WAR? THEIR STORIES NEED TO BE TOLD. THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS NEED TO BE MET.
The Pakistan government released on 10.08.2004 two prisoners from the Kargil conflict in 1999, ie Jagseer Singh and Mohd Arif. These men were labelled deserters by the Indian side
and the Pakistan government gave no news of their being captured thereby violating the Geneva Conventions. It was only when the relatives of these two received information from the men that they were alive and well and in prison in Pakistan that the process of bringing them back to India started. They were released 5 years later in 2004. In 2001, President Musharraf at the Agra summit categorically stated that the Pakistanis had combed their jails but not found any POWs. If despite holding these two prisoners of war, the Pakistani government did not admit to their existence in this day and age, it is no wonder that 33 years back, the forgotten 54 were not handed back by the Pakistani government.
It has been 33 plus years now. What do we expect? There have been blatant human rights violations. It seems futile to expect that the Paksitani government to holding these men now. It would bring international disrepute. Yet these men cant just be forgotten. The evidence pertaining to their presence there is too strong. Even if their rights were impinged upon earlier by previous Pakistani regimes, the current regime can, at the least attempt to give credence to their humanitarian credentials and make an effort to rectify the past mistakes of previous regimes by undoing the wrong and releasing these POWs. India and Pakistan have been talking of peace. It is time to translate this talk into action. The least that can be done is to inform the long waiting relatives of the fate of these men. The Indian government has not sought any third party mediation or even placed the matter before the U.N. Human Rights Commission despite repeated requests of the relatives. It is unfortunate that basic human rights of these forgotten prisoners of war are being neglected while the Indian and Pakistani governments carry on playing a game of one upmanship for the last 33 years.
That is what the families of these men want, to make peace with the demons of the 1971 Indo –Pak war by learning of the fate of these men and coming to terms with the ultimate reality. THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD AND BE KNOWN TO ALL. Any survivors should be finally brought back home to spend their last few years in their own country with their families. Or the families should be informed what did happen to these men. Then only will the war end for them. Then only will they know that any human rights exist for them.
We are searching for any news relating to these men. Some people have even said that some may have been rehabilitated in Pakistan. We are searching for any clues. If they died in the Fort of Attock, then when and how did they die? If anyone has any answers or any sources to find information, please contact us.
Comments