Sanaullah Haq
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Rana Sanaullah Haq (c. 1961 - 9 May 2013, , , ), also known as Sanaullah Ranjay, was a Pakistani national from
Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
who was serving a
life term Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...
in a jail in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
for involvement in terror acts with the banned militant group
Hizbul Mujahideen Hizbul Mujahideen, also spelled Hizb-ul-Mujahidin (, ), is a Pakistan-based Islamist separatist militant organisation that has been engaged in the Kashmir insurgency since 1989. It aims to separate Kashmir from India and merge it with Pakist ...
, as per the verdict by Indian courts. Before his incarceration, he was reportedly involved in
Kashmir independence movement The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, and also between China and India in the northeastern portion of the region. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1 ...
and two bombing incidents in Indian-administered Kashmir. On 3 May 2013, he was attacked by a former Indian soldier Vinod Kumar, who had been convicted of murder. Reports of his attack came a day after the murder of an Indian prisoner
Sarabjit Singh Sarabjit Singh (1963 or 1964 – 2 May 2013) (alleged to be Manjit Singh Rattu by Pakistan) was an Indian national convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court. He was tried and convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for a s ...
in Pakistani detention. Sanaullah succumbed to his injuries six days later.


History

Haq was born in the Dalowali village in the
Sialkot District Sialkot District ( Punjabi and ), is one of the districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located in the northeast of the province. The city of Sialkot is the capital of the district. The Sialkot Cantonment was established in 1852 ...
of
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, Pakistan. He was arrested in 1990 after he accidentally crossed the border. He was convicted under Terrorism & Disruptive Activities Act for militancy and waging war against India and was sentenced to life in prison in 2009, by the Indian courts. According to a controversial report of
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
, he was a gardener by profession and in 1990s he got associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and was involved in two bomb blasts in 1994 which resulted in death of 14 people. Due to his good conduct, he was granted permission to pursue gardening in the prison. According to the superintendent of the Kot Bhawal, Vinod and Haq were not involved in scuffle before and were on good terms. Sanaullah Haq was one of the ''"ideal and most peaceful jail inmates"'' at Kot Bhawal and was part of 'piper band' of the Jammu and Kashmir Prison Department.


Attack and treatment

Haq was attacked in the early hours of 3 May 2013, and suffered serious head injuries. The officials said that he was hit with a sharp weapon (later reported to be an axe). He was attacked a day after
Sarabjit Singh Sarabjit Singh (1963 or 1964 – 2 May 2013) (alleged to be Manjit Singh Rattu by Pakistan) was an Indian national convicted of terrorism and spying by a Pakistani court. He was tried and convicted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for a s ...
's death and the attack was thought to be a tit-for-tat assault. Sanaullah was later admitted to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu, where he slipped into a coma and his condition was reported to be serious. Later, he was flown to
Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
, where he was admitted to the ICU in the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research.


Death

On 6 May 2013, the Indian doctors of the PGI Chandigarh reported that Sanaullah was brain dead. The condition of Haq had continued to be critically sick with no neurological improvement. On 8 May, Haq suffered
renal failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
and doctors reported his condition to be "extremely critical". Sanaullah died on 9 May 2013 and according to doctors he died from multiple organ failure resulting from severe head injuries. His body was returned to his hometown in Sialkot on 9 May. He was 52 years old at the time of his death. His funeral was attended by a massive gathering and as demanded by the public, he was honored a rare state funeral by the Government of Pakistan.


Aftermath

The
Government of Jammu and Kashmir The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the principal administrative authority responsible for the governance of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Established on 5 March 1948 as the Government of Princely state of Jammu and Ka ...
suspended the jail superintendent and ordered a probe after the incident. A case of assault was registered against Vinod Kumar, a former
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
serviceman from
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...
who was serving a sentence in the jail and was the main attacker. The Pakistani High Commission in Delhi sought and was provided daily consular access to Sanaullah. According to the mission, Pakistan High Commission has asked for detailed information of the incident, immediate consular access, medical facilities for the victim and security of other inmates. Following his death, the Pakistan High Commissioner requested the Government of India for an international inquiry into the incidence which India promptly denied suggesting that the issue should be addressed through bilateral means. The spokesperson for the
Indian Ministry of External Affairs The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; ISO: ) is India's foreign ministry. The ministry is tasked with formulating and implementing India's foreign policy and representing India on the global stage. The Ministry is headed by th ...
also said that "We would like to reiterate the offer made by us on May 3, calling for a meeting with the relevant Pakistani authorities to take immediate steps to enhance the safety, security and humane treatment of Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails".


Reactions


Foreign

* Chairman
Press Council of India Press Council of India (PCI) is a statutory and quasi-judicial body in India, re-established in 1979 by the Press Council Act, 1978. Its objective is "preserving the freedom of the press by maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers ...
, Justice Markandey Katju, also appealed for his release after the attack and stated: In Jammu and Kashmir, funeral prayers of Sanaullah were offered in absentia in different areas including the
Jamia Masjid, Srinagar The Jamia Masjid () is a Friday mosque located at Nowhatta in the Old City of Srinagar, in the Indian administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Sikandar in 1394 CE and completed in 1402 CE, at ...
which was led by
All Parties Hurriyat Conference All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of several political, social and religious organizations formed on 9 March 1993, as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri independence in the Kashmir conflict. Mehmood Ahm ...
chairman. Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir,
Omar Abdullah Omar Abdullah (born 10 March 1970) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the chief minister of union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He had previously served as the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir between 2009 and ...
, also showed concern over the incident stating that ''"the fact this is happening at all is a matter of great regret"''. He also apologized to the family of the victim for the murder.


Domestic

* On 7 May, during a telephone conversation with then, the
Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir The prime minister of Azad Kashmir (Urdu: , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam lit. 'Grand Vizier', Urdu pronunciation: əˈziːr-ˌeː ˈɑː.zəm is the chief executive of Azad Jammu and Kashmir region of Pakistan. The title of Prime Minister ...
,
Chaudhry Abdul Majid Chaudhry Abdul Majid () is an Azad Kashmiri politician who served as the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu And Kashmir from 2011 to 2016. He has also been the President of the Pakistan People's Party's in Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir () ...
, the Prime Minister of Pakistan discussed the health concerns of Sanaullah and prayed for his health. After his death, the Prime Minister termed the event as 'tragic and most unfortunate' and stated: He also stated that in light of the event leading up to Sanaullah's death, both countries must address the humanitarian issues of the prisoners. The spokesperson of Pakistan High Commission in India stated that this constitutes an "extra-judicial killing of an innocent citizen of Pakistan right under the noses of the Indian jail authorities" and an inquiry of international level should be carried out to find and punish the culprits. His death also prompted the calls for release and repatriation of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails who have completed their sentences. Pakistani High Commission in a statement demanded release of 47 Pakistani prisoners who are languishing in Indian prisons after serving their time.


Demonstrations

Protests were held in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and
Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
to demonstrate against the attack on Sanaullah. Following the death of Sanaullah, Pakistani inmates at the Kot Bhalwal Jail fasted and staged protests against India. Some Pakistani inmates also had verbal brawls with Indian inmates and to prevent escalation, force was used by jail authorities.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani Syed Ali Shah Geelani (29 September 1929 – 1 September 2021) was an Islamist Kashmiri-separatist leader in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. A pro-Pakistan separatist, Sumantra BoseSyed Ali Shah Geelani: The man who fought for Kashmir ...
, said that the Government should register the jail superintendent for murder and called for peaceful protest across the Kashmir Valley.


Security concerns

The Indian government issued an advisory to all states to enhance security for Pakistani inmates serving sentences in Indian jails. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan reacted sternly stating that this is a "matter of deep concern for Government of Pakistan" and that the perpetrators of the crime be brought to justice. The two incidents of Sarabjit and Sanaullah's murders have put strain on the relations of the two country. Following the incidence, Pakistan Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory stating that some disturbing reports in Indian media indicates that Pakistani travelers may be in danger and also called upon India to provide security to Pakistani visitors. However, Indian Deputy High Commissioner stated that "''due to the prevailing security environment in India following recent bilateral incidents''", India will be unable to ensure safety and therefore Pakistan should call off visit to
Ajmer Sharif The Shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti, also known as the Ajmer Dargah Shareef, is a Sufi dargah complex incorporating the shrine of Mu'in al-Din Chishti, several tombs, and a mosque, located at Ajmer, in the state of Rajasthan, India. The shrine i ...
this year.


Impact on Pak-India relations

Sanaullah's murder had an adverse effect on Pak-India relations and have further strained the ties between the two neighbours. According to Hindustan Times, the handling of the case has resulted in a 'face-off' on the matter of probe.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haq, Sanaullah 1960s births 2013 deaths 2013 murders in Asia Pakistani people imprisoned abroad Pakistani people murdered abroad People from Sialkot Date of birth missing Pakistani Muslims India–Pakistan relations