Capt Chanan Singh Sidhu (retd) with the portrait of Sepoy Balwinder Singh, an Indian PoW said to be languishing in a Pakistan jail. TRIBUNE FILE

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 15

A disabled Special Forces officer, who took part in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, has petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking directions to the Centre to earnestly work towards the repatriation of Indian prisoners of war (PoW) believed to be languishing in Pakistan jails for decades.“We filed the petition this week and expect it to be listed for hearing within the next few days,” Capt Chanan Singh Sidhu (retd) said. “Substantial evidence, including excerpts of books authored by eminent persons, extracts of official reports of human right commissions and affidavits have been attached with the petition,” he said.Last year, the Centre had in an affidavit submitted to the SC claimed that it had no details regarding the ‘missing’ defence personnel believed to be held captive in Pakistan jails after the 1965 and 1971 wars, but would continue making efforts for their repatriation. The SC had fined the government Rs 20,000 for laxity in placing the information before it.Capt Sidhu served with the Special Forces (5 Para) from 1968-1978 before being discharged on medical grounds after losing his right arm and suffering severe head injuries while deployed on the border with Tibet. He was posted at the Pathankot airfield during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He now runs his business from Amritsar and Mullanpur near Chandigarh.Speaking to The Tribune, he claimed that over 78 persons ‘gone missing’ in the 1971 war were rotting in Pakistani jails and there was enough evidence ‘on their existence.’He said among the annexures attached with the petition were excerpts from the biography of a former US Air Force Chief, wherein he had mentioned that during his stint in Pakistan as part of a training team, he had interrogated 16 IAF PoWs to glean information on Soviet war machines. Also, in a book authored by Pakistani Premier ZA Bhutto’s lawyer it had been mentioned that Bhutto was unable to sleep at night while incarcerated in jail because of Indian PoWs screaming for help.Capt Sidhu pointed out that members of a human rights organisation, who had gone to meet alleged Indian spy Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan’s Kot Lakhpat jail, were greeted with appeals of help by some inmates who claimed to be Indian PoWs.Affidavits of prisoners released from Pakistan jails vouching for the Indian PoWs there had also been made part of the petition. Capt Sidhu said he would be petitioning the International Court of Justice and the International Human Rights Commission too.