Thoughts on the damned

Indian national Sarabjit Singh condemned to death awaits his fate. He has already spent seventeen years in prison. There is an appeal for clemency. And from his death cell, Sarabjit claimed that "He is a case of mistaken identity." But then, how many would care or pause to think? Who cares for the damned? The case of long drawn suffering of Sarabjit is ironically caught between:

• Release of Kashmir Singh an alleged Indian spy

• The inhuman killing of Khalid Mehmood, a Pakistani visiting India.

It was Kashmir Singh's return to his homeland after spending 35 years in prison that raised a lot of hope in India about Sarabjit's fate. There was an expectation that he would be released as well. But the irony of fate is that these hopes were soon dashed. When in a quick follow up, India sent back the dead body of Khalid Mehmood - a Pakistani cricket fan brutally tortured and killed in an Indian prison. The incident drew immense attention and media hype. Undoubtedly, it is seen as a callous and inhuman act on India's part and since then New Delhi is maintaining that the sudden decision by Pakistani government to hang Sarabjit is in retaliation for the unfortunate death of Mehmood. However, India's double standard humanitarianism cannot be comprehended which is evident from Mehmood's case.