I hope I can tie Sarabjit a rakhi next year: Dalbir

MUMBAI: It has been 19 years since Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh-who has been detained in Pakistan on charges of being an Indian spy, has tied a rakhi on anyone on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. On Wednesday, Dalbir tied filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt a rakhi at the Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Dadar. Present on the occasion were Swapandeep Kaur (Sarabjit's elder daughter), Dalbir's husband Baldev Singh, Maharashtra State Minorities' Commission vice-chairman Abraham Mathai and members of the Gurudwara committee.
Bhatt had first met Dalbir during the felicitation ceremony of Ansar Burney, a human rights activist in Pakistan who has been fighting for Sarabjit.Burney was awarded the Mother Teresa award for social justice in 2008. Bhatt and Dalbir have stayed in touch ever since. "I was impressed by her single-mindedness of seeing her brother freed. On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, I would say that I wish each Indian had a sister like her,'' said Bhatt.
"I am celebrating Raksha Bandhan after 19 years. I have been sending rakhis to Sarabjit, but somehow he only gets the letters and never the rakhis. I am not even sure if he knows that today is Raksha Bandhan,'' Dalbir said.
Dalbir reminisced the day she had met Sarabjit on April 24, 2008, when she tied him 18 rakhis in one go, one for each year since his incarceration. "This year, I have sent the rakhi through my lawyer. I hope that next Raksha Bandhan, I get to tie a rakhi to Sarabjit and Bhatt,'' said Dalbir.
Sarabjit's daughter Swapandeep said, "Unless our government takes up the issue with immediate effect, I cannot expect the Pakistan government to respond.'' On August 14, coinciding with Pakistan's Independence Day, Sarabjit's family, Bhatt and Mathai are going to Wagah border to interact with human rights activists to demand Sarabjit's freedom.