Pakistani ‘stoned to death’ in Indian jail amid Kashmir tensions

NEW DELHI (Aljazeera): Indian prisoners have stoned to death a Pakistani inmate at a jail amid mounting tensions over a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi has blamed on its neighbour, an official said.

The Pakistani prisoner had been eight years into a life term when he was attacked on Wednesday at the Jaipur central jail in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.

He was stoned to death following a quarrel, Rajasthan’s director general of police, Kapil Garg, told the AFP news agency.

The killing came amid calls for retribution across India over a car bombing in Kashmir last Thursday which killed at least 40 Indian paramilitaries.

Pakistan-based armed group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the bombing, which was the worst rebel attack in nearly 30 years of armed conflict in Kashmir.

India has accused Pakistan of backing the armed group but Islamabad has denied any role.

India and Pakistan both control sectors of Kashmir and have been bitter rivals since their independence from Britain in 1947.

A Pakistani prisoner was killed by fellow inmates in a Kashmir jail in May 2013 in retaliation for a fatal attack on an Indian prisoner in a Pakistani jail.

In a statement released by its foreign ministry, Pakistan said it is “gravely concerned” over the brutal killing of its prisoner, identified as Shakir Ullah.

“Our High Commission in New Delhi has officially raised the issue with the Indian authorities requesting them to urgently authenticate the report and awaits a response,” the statement said.

“We call upon the Indian government to fulfill its obligations and ensure provision of foolproof security to all Pakistani inmates in Indian jails and Pakistani visitors to India.”