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| Wait for PoW’s wife seems to end | | NIRMAL KOUR TO VISIT PAKISTAN IN SEARCH OF HER HUSBAND | |
Jammu, May 27
Awaiting permission to visit Pakistan
in search of her husband Subedar Assa Singh, held as
Prisoner
of war for over 36 years, it is time for 70 year old Nirmal Kour
to visit Pakistan as her long wait seems to have ended.
A day ago she received a phone call from an official of the
Ministry of Defence informing her that she has been cleared for the visit.
When contacted she said, I have been asked to reach Delhi
by May 30 so that I could leave for Pakistan on June 1."
It is for the first time i will be undertaking such a long journey.
"though my son will accompany me upto Delhi but the
Government has given permission to me only for visiting
Pakistan.",Kour said.
"I am hopeful I would be able to find my husband."
When asked what was basis of her hope she said "during
the last several years two Indian,who too were held as
POW,had told me that they had seen Assa Singh." One
had said that he had
spotted Assa Singh in a hospital
where he had been shifted from the jail for
treatment.Another person,Bhogal Ram,belonging to
Pumandal near Jammu,had seen him in Kot Lakhpat Jail
in Lahore."
She recalled that soon after the 1971 war ended the
Army authorities had informed her that Assa Singh,who
had been deplopyed in chhamb sector in Jammu, had been
killed in action.
She confirmed that she would visit Pakistan
alongwith relatives of 11 other POW languishing in
Pakistani jails.These families had been campaigning
for tracing out their relations who had been held
as
POW.In the light of the campaign Pakistan
President,Gen. Parvez Musharraf,had informed the
Government of India that if they wanted to
visit
Pakistan they were welcome so that they could search
for their relatives.
Nirmal Kour prayed that Assa Singh was not shifted
to some secret place.If he was retained in the place
mentioned "to me by two people I would
be able to
identify him." She would also identify kins of six
other families,who had been held POW,and were stated
to be in Pakistan.In fact Nirmal Kour would represent
the seven families from Jammu and Kashmir.
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