A ray of hope for the innocent Indian prisoners imprisoned in Pakistan Ansar Burney, a former Human Rights Minister in Pakistan during the regime of caretaker government and now a mere prominent human rights activists will visit India next month on a mission to meet Sarabjit Singh’s family and to amass evidence, which could prove his innocence and save his life as well.
Pakistani prisoners who are locked up in Indian prison could also anticipate for second life, if are found innocent, as militants whether belong to India or Pakistan has no place in Burney’s sympathetic eyes and hearts.
Indeed such a man of honour is needed today’s society when the victory of evil over good have been the order of the day.
The man’s life cannot be evaluated by what he does or does not say about himself, but what others who know him say about him.
Ansar Burney do not need today to introduce himself is one such person, who is attributed as being the ‘first man’ to launch the ‘concept of human rights’ in Pakistan almost 30 years ago and is continuing to fight for this just cause ever since.
For his outstanding effort in the field of human and civil rights, which helped to bring a wave of change in the fundamentalist country, Burney was the first man to be honoured with Pakistan’s National Civil Award “Sitara-i-Imtiaz” on March 23, 2002.
He did not restrict his endless endeavour for the cause of violations of human rights to his country only, but spread his tentacles beyond the boundary of Pakistan. His two-decade long international campaign in the Middle East declared Burney ‘Anti-human Trafficking Hero’ in the 2005 by the US Department for abolishing child slavery in the form of ‘child camel jockeys.’
Camel racing was a deep-rooted traditional sport in which children as young as four were trafficked from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sudan and forced to play up to 18 hours a day as jockeys in the Persian Gulf States. Children were often physically and sexually abused and malnourished.
With the incessant mission to working for peace and justice without discrimination, Ansar Burney founded a non-profitable NGO in 1980 under his name of “Ansar Burney Welfare Trust.” It was the first organization, which introduced true human rights in Pakistan.
The organisations commenced its fight in full swing against all forms of torture, cruel inhuman or degrading treatment, child abuse, cruelty to women and other more subtle forms of violent suppression, or human and civil rights infringement. His relentless efforts have acclaimed in the release of more than six lakhs innocent prisoners so far who were illegally caged in Pakistan and in other countries.
Burney will be visiting India on April 02 at the invitation of Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal to meet Sarabjit Singh’s family to gather evidence to make easier for him to work for Sarabjit case. Sarabjit was sentenced to death in 1991 for his alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan that killed 14 people. Recently President of Pakistan has turned down the mercy petition of Sarabit Singh and fixed April 01 for hanging which was deferred for the next 30 days.
It was Burney who had spotted Kashmir Singh in Kot Lakhpat jail of Lahore and his unrelenting endeavour not only obtained him clemency but also sent him back to India.
The son-of-Pakistani soil also committed to render help and support to his country’s prisoners who are imprisoned in India. His Trust has compiled a list of 46 Pakistanis, including women, who are allegedly languishing in Indian jails even after completing their sentences.
To a liberal it takes a village to raise a child. Work is difficult, but not impossible to create harmonious relationship between the two neighbouring countries-India and Pakistan-as common people do not have any malice against each other. While few initiatives have been taken at political level to end dissensions arising since division of the two bordering countries, people like Burney is in true sense a ray of hope for humanity.
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