Another Pakistani citizen has died while in Indian custody, a private channel reported on Thursday citing diplomatic sources. The cause of his death could not be independently confirmed, but media reports stated that he had died of natural causes. Mohammad Azam, 62, had been charged by Indian authorities with crossing the border illegally and served his sentence at Ferozepur Jail.
His sentence had concluded in 2016, following which he was transferred to Amritsar Jail. He could not be repatriated to Pakistan despite the conclusion of his sentence.
On Feb 25 of this year, he had been shifted to Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, where he breathed his last. Azam becomes the second Pakistani prisoner to die in India following the death of Shakirullah, who was beaten to death by a group of inmates at the Jaipur Central Jail on Feb 20.
Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2019.
