Urgent News from United States

[Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International]

Burney handed over letter to Indian Ambassador in DC to trace
Indian Pows in Pak Jails:

WASHINGTON, D.C:   The renowned human and civil rights activist
and Chairman Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International, Ansar Burney, 
Attorney, handed over a letter to the Ambassador of India in United States, 
in which he offered Trust's services to trace out the Indian Prisoners of 
War (Pows) if any languishing in any Pakistani jails.

After presenting the letter to the Indian Embassy here in Washington, while 
talking to Press, Ansar Burney said that after having come to know about 
such a humanitarian problem, he immediately wrote letters to Indian Prime 
Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Foreign Affairs Minister and Home Minister 
of India but in the last one month they did not reply and failed to provide 
any information.

He said that last month he also sent a same letter to the Indian High
Commissioner at Islamabad in which he requested the Indian High
Commission in Pakistan to provide all the details of such Pows to
Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International at 6 Hassan Manzil, Arambagh
Road, Karachi, Pakistan or at P. O. Box 23780, Washington, D.C. 20026,
USA. But the High Commission in Islamabad also failed to provide any details 
of Indian Pows.

In a letter to Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and other 
concern Ministers including Indian High Commission at Islamabad and Indian 
Embassy in USA, the renowned human rights leader, Ansar Burney, Attorney 
recalled that during the recent visit of the Pakistani President General 
Pervez Musharraf to India, the Indian government (after 31 years) raised the 
issue of prisoners of war languishing in Pakistani jails.

When we came to know that you have raised your concern for the Indian 
alleged prisoners of war in Pakistani prisons, I felt it my duty as a human 
rights campaigner to offer my humanitarian services to search for those 
unfortunate prisoners, if any and in any of the Pakistani prisons. Ansar 
Burney said in his letter.

He said we are planning to start our search of such Indian prisoners of war 
if any in Pakistani Jails from the 3rd week of this month.

The Trust requested the Indian government to provide 'Ansar Burney Welfare 
Trust International' the details of names, pictures, addresses in India and 
other details if any to help search of POWs if any in Pakistani Jails. I 
hope it does not take time as the Indian government claims to already have 
such information Burney said.

If it is not a political game and the issue is real, then it is a very
serious humanitarian issue and we would be very much pleased and willing to 
help in the matter. We would make every effort to search for such prisoners 
and get them released, he added.

The Burney Trust also requested for the number of alleged prisoners of war 
in Pakistani prisons as well as other helpful information from the Indian 
government.

The letter said that Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International has also
contacted the Pakistani Government through President House and Ministry
of Interior in this regard. Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International has
already formed a committee under the supervision of its chief Ansar Burney, 
consisting of human rights journalists to search for such prisoners in 
Pakistani Jails.

If this is just not a political issue, your immediate response will help our 
mission, so please reply early. This is a serious issue and if such 
prisoners of war are in Pakistani prisons then their suffering must be 
stopped, the letter added.

Meanwhile human rights activist also requested the families of such 
prisoners to contact the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International at 6 
Hassan Manzil, Arambagh Road, Karachi, Pakistan to send the details with old 
pictures of those prisoners.

END.




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