SIALKOT - The aggrieved family of Pakistani civilian Shakirullah who was tortured and killed on Feb 20 by fellow inmates in India’s Jaipur jail as revenge for Pulwama attack, yesterday demanded of Prime Minister Imran Khan to take up the case of brutal murder of Pakistani prisoner to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as the victim was laid to rest in village Jessarwala-Daska of Sialkot district.
Talking to newsmen in Jessarwala-Daska of Sialkot district, after the burial of slain Shakirullah at his native graveyard, his family said Pakistan must take the case to International Court of Justice (ICJ) at earliest to expose real face of India to the entire World, besides providing justice to the aggrieved family.
Family said that Indian had written a story of brutality and shameful cruelty and inhuman attitude by getting this Pakistani prisoner Shakirullah killed by the Hindu prisoners. They stoned to death Shakirullah in Jaipur jail in India soon after the Pulwama.
Family said, “We are returning the captured pilot alive to India, but India is returning us the dead bodies of our slain loved ones, as “goodwill gesture”. Enough is enough.”
The family urged the Pakistani government to use its complete influence in the international community to teach some unforgettable lessons of respect and humanity to India…
Meanwhile, Shakirullah alias Muhammad Ilyas was laid to rest in a graveyard in his native village Jessarwala-Daska of Sialkot district here yesterday, with complete official protocol and state honour.
District administration of Sialkot gave him complete ‘state honour” before burial.
Thousands of people, including MNA Sahibzada Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah, Punjab Minister for Environment Bao Muhammad Rizwan, MPAs Mian Zeeshan Rafiq, Ch. Naveed Ashraf, Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Dr. Syed Bilal Haider, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Gujranwala Tariq Abbas Qureshi, President PTI Central Punjab Umer Dar traders, journalists, lawyers and students of local schools, colleges and universities attended his funeral here.
A large number of people laid floral wreaths on his grave and offered Fateha.
Earlier, the local people accorded a heroic welcome to ambulance, carrying Shakirullah’s coffin wrapped in Pakistani flag, upon its arrival at the graveyard for burial. They showered mounds of the rose patels.
The coffin, with body wrapped in national flag of Pakistan, was brought to village Jessarwala-Daska in Sialkot district for burial from Wagah border. The local people received his dead body.
Shakirullah’s neighbour, Ali, said, “I known Shakir since his childhood. He was not mentally stable and was a harmless man as well.”
Shakir’s class fellow at local school, Muhammad Iqbal, said, “Shakir had been a good student, who always wanted to seek knowledge as well”.
A panel of senior doctors at Government Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital Sialkot conducted detailed autopsy of Shakir on Saturday night.
Requesting anonymity, senior doctors said, “Almost all body parts of victim Shakirullah was badly crushed especially his head, chest ribs, arms, backbone and legs with heavy stones, wooden sticks and bricks”. The doctors revealed that no part victim’s body was found without torture marks.
Doctors added that victim Shakirullah’s body was in very bad condition and showed he was brutally tortured. They said victim’s body was crushed with heavy stones, wooden sticks and bricks by the infuriated accused in the jail resulting in his death.
Local MNA from Daska Sahibzada Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah, after attending Shakirullah’s funeral, strongly condemned his brutal murder in Indian jail. He said, “The world must see and take serious notice of this barbarity, now the international community must play its direly-needed positive and effective role to halt India from such inhuman practices and such extra-judicial killings”.
Daska-based provincial Minister for Environment Muhammad Rizwan said, “Murder of Pakistani prisoner has exposed Indian brutality and aggression in Indian jails. The whole of the Pakistani nation was strongly condemning murder of Pakistani prisoner in Indian jail”.
President PTI Central Punjab Umer Dar said, “Islamabad will raise murder of Pakistani prisoner in Indian jail at all the international forums including UNO and International Court of Justice (ICJ) as well”.
PTI leader Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said, “Shakir’s death in India is an extra-judicial killing and reflects aggressive posture of Indian government, while release of Indian pilot Abhinandan by Pakistan reflects moral victory of our nation”. She said the UNO must take serious notice of this callous murder.”
On Saturday evening, India had handed over slain Shakirullah’s dead body to his family and Pakistani officials at Wagah Border, after 11 days of his brutal killing in Jaipur jail Hindu prisoners.
Shakir belonged to a local Christian family. He embraced Islam in 1997.
Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) had arrested him as he mistakenly crossed into India through Bajwat Sector of the zig-zagged Sialkot Working Boundary in 2003.
An Indian court had awarded him three-year rigorous imprisonment, but he had been languishing there in several Indian jails for the last 16 years despite completing his “punishment” and Indian authorities were reluctant to release him due to reasons beyond comprehension.
On February 02, 2019 (11 days ago), the infuriated Hindu prisoners had stoned to death this Pakistani prisoner Shakirullah alias Muhammad Ilyas in Jaipur jail after Pulwama incident.
India remained reluctant to hand over his body to Pakistan for 11 consecutive days to give an unjustified cover to this killing in Indian jail.