Sarabjit Singh still in coma in Pakistan hospital, doctors say no surgery till condition stabilizes

Lahore: Sarabjit Singh, an Indian man who is on death row in Pakistan, continues to be in critical condition in a hospital in Lahore where he was admitted yesterday after he was brutally attacked by a group of prisoners at a jail.

Sources say he is in "deep coma" and doctors will not be able to perform any surgery on him till his condition stabilises. He is believed to have suffered extensive internal bleeding caused by a severe head injury. (How Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh was attacked in Lahore jail)

Sarabjit, 49, is on ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit of the state-run Jinnah Hospital in Lahore. Yesterday, he was brutally assaulted within his barrack at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. Sources say at least six prisoners hit him with bricks, blade and sharp pieces of a ghee tin.(Sarabjit Singh's life was at threat after Afzal Guru's hanging, says his sister)

Pakistani TV news channels quoted their sources as saying that next 24 hours would be crucial for Sarabjit. (Two prisoners booked for attack on Sarabjit)

"Doctors attending to Sarabjit Singh have informed Indian officials that he is in coma on ventilator and receiving intravenous drip," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said.

Even as Sarabjit was in coma, doctors carried out X-rays, MRI, CT scans on him. They are now waiting for his condition to stabilise before conducting further tests, Mr Akbaruddin added. He also informed that Indian High Commission officials are in regular contact with the Medical Board of Jinnah Hospital.

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Sources quoted doctors at Jinnah Hospital as saying that Sarabjit's condition was measured as 5 on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which indicates the level of damage or injury to a person's central nervous system.

The GCS comprises tests of eye, verbal and motor responses. The three separate values and their sum are considered in deciding a person's status. The lowest possible GCS score is 3 while the highest is 15.

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Two Indian High Commission officials got consular access to Sarabjit Singh in the ICU of Jinnah Hospital this morning and spent some time with him there.

Some news channels reported that a team of Indian doctors might visit Lahore to assist in Sarabjit's treatment though this could not be independently confirmed.

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Earlier, sources told PTI that Sarabjit was attacked by at least six other prisoners within his barrack in one of the most secure sections of Kot Lakhpat Jail. He was hit on the head with bricks and his face, neck, and torso were cut with blade and pieces of a ghee tin.

Sarabjit was initially taken to the hospital within the prison. When his condition worsened, he was moved in an ambulance to Jinnah Hospital.

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A murder case has been registered against two prisoners - Amer Aftab and Mudassar. Sources said Aftab, who is on death row after being convicted of murder, had quarrelled with Sarabjit and attempted to attack him some days ago.

Sarabjit was convicted for his alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990. His mercy petitions were rejected by courts and former President Pervez Musharraf.

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Sarabjit's family says he is the victim of mistaken identity and had inadvertently strayed across the border in a drunk state.