AMRITSAR: The son of an Indian soldier who has been declared a 1971 war martyr by the Indian government, has approached Sweden-based Pakistani rights activist Awais Sheikh to trace his father who is believed to be lodged in a jail in Attock, a district in Pakistan's Punjab province. Havildar Dharampal Singh was posted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with 4 Sikh Regiment during the war when he was taken prisoner by Pakistan Army, said Dharampal's son, Arshinderpal Singh.Dharampal hails from Lehra Dhulkot village of Bathinda district. Arshinderpal, a farmer, told TOI on Friday that based on information of two Indians released by the Pakistan government, he was of the "firm belief" that his father was lodged in an Attock jail.Sheikh, who has taken asylum in Sweden, had taken up the case of another Indian prisoner, Sarabjit Singh, who died in May 2013 after being attacked in Lahore jail. "Initially, we were informed that my father went missing, but sometime around 1977-78 we were told that he had achieved martyrdom. We started getting his pension after that," Arshinderpal said.He said an Indian soldier who was released by Pakistan in 1986, Satish Kumar, informed him that Dharampal and he were tortured together in Pakistan. In an affidavit, Satish had claimed that Dharampal and he had remained together at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore from July 19, 1974, to 1976, and he was later shifted to a jail in Mianwali, Pakistan Punjab, and Dharampal to Attock.He informed that most recently an Indian spy released by Pakistan in 2012, Surjit Singh, had also claimed to have met Dharampal in jail. "I know my father must be old and feeble, but it is important for all of us to know where he is. I am sure he is not dead," he said, adding that he would be sending details about his father to Sheikh and expected him to raise his voice in Pakistan to trace his father.Arshinderpal informed that UK-based right activist Jas Uppal had also taken up his father's case at an international level. When asked why did the family start making efforts after so long, Arshinderpal said they had been trying to reach out to him for long. "But we had been unsuccessful all these years. On contacting Sheikh, he encouraged and we are hoping something would come off it now," he said.

Stay updated with all the Amritsar Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.