The Hindu : Front Page : I was a spy, says Kashmir Singh

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Saturday, Mar 08, 2008
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I was a spy, says Kashmir Singh

Sarabjit Pandher

Admits crossing the border many times

— Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Looking back: Kashmir Singh, who was recently released from a Pakistani jail, addressing journalists at the Chandigarh Press Club on Friday.

CHANDIGARH: In a reversal of his stand that he had no role in espionage, Kashmir Singh, who was released from a Pakistani jail after being incarcerated for 35 years, on Friday admitted that he had gone into Pakistan “on duty” to spy for the Indian Military Intelligence.

However, he refused to divulge details about who controlled the operations.

Addressing journalists at the Press Club here, Mr. Singh, with his wife Paramjit Kaur by his side, narrated his experiences of crossing the border on numerous occasions to collect information required by the MI.

He denied any involvement in subversive activities.

Mr. Singh, who received a salary of Rs. 480 a month then, said he had changed his appearance to resemble a Muslimin Pakistan.

Claiming to be conversant in Persian, Urdu and Arabic, he said that “duty” also took him to Afghanistan and Iran.

Mr. Singh refused to narrate details about the torture he underwent after he was arrested on June 17, 1974, and placed on the death row, saying his family might not be able to bear it. However, he narrated how in 1977 and 1979 eleventh hour political changes saved him from the gallows.

Ms. Kaur said she worked as a maid to feed her three children during her husband’s absence.

The couple alleged that the Indian government just washed its hands off the family after Pakistan arrested Mr. Singh.

While Mr. Singh claimed that there were about 100 Indian spies languishing in Pakistani prisons, his lawyer, Ranjan Lakhanpal, who had moved the court for compensation, demanded that the government formulate a policy to own, honour and compensate “such heroes.”

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced a monthly pension of Rs. 5,000 each to the couple.

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