The  father of 3 young children - 2 boys and a girl, was arrested in 1973 on espionage charges in Pakistan, was now "weak, old and mentally disabled" as he had "never received a single visitor or even seen the open sky, sun or moon", Burney said in a statement.

Burney, a prominent human rights activist who was appointed minister in the caretaker government, said that President Pervez Musharraf had expressed "shocked and disbelief" after being told about Singh`s plight. Musharraf "promised to accept the mercy appeal and order the release of Singh in the coming days," the minister said as reported.

Burney revealed that he had been informed about Singh several years ago by members of the Indian community in London. However at that time, he had been unable to locate Singh in his capacity as chairman of the Ansar Burney trust.

The minister visited over 20 prisons all across the country in relation to his prison reforms. During a visit to Central Jail, Lahore, Burney visited the various death cells and finally came across Singh. After the minister sought details from prison authorities, it was revealed that Singh had been confined for over 3 decades under the official secret act in a death cell. Like other condemned prisoners, he was locked in an overcrowded cell for 23.5 hours a day and only allowed out for 30 minutes to stretch his legs, the minister said.

Due to his long confinement in a death cell, which Burney described as "hell on earth", Singh became mentally disabled some years ago.

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Hindu, Christian, Sikh blood in Muslim patient

A Muslim girl suffering from thalassemia in Bihar has found a new lease of life after three officials of a central paramilitary force, belonging to the Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities, gave her blood. Read the story here.

The Saudi religious police want to behead yet another woman

The Saudi Arabian king  faces international outcry over the planned beheading of a woman accused of being a witch.Fawza Falih is accused of turning two men impotent. A Saudi religious court sentenced her to death by beheading in public. She was convicted on mere belief that she is a witch with no proof whatsoever. I can not understand how it is this poor woman's fault that those two men became impotent.  Women in Saudi Arabia  live under severe restrictions and have no rights. I hope these savages who commit all these inhuman crimes in the name of religion burn in hell. Read more about it here   and here.

World's smallest bodybuilder 

Aditya "Romeo" Dev, just 2-feet 9-inches tall, is said to be "the world's smallest bodybuilder." The 19-year-old, who lives in Punjab, India was honored by the Guinness Book of Records in 2006. While most dwarfs have large heads compared to their bodies, Romeo is perfectly proportioned, and despite his diminutive stature has triceps, biceps, calves and thighs that would make many a full-grown man blush...

"I've been training as a bodybuilder for the last two years and by now I think I must be the strongest dwarf in the world," said Romeo.

Romeo’s father has spoken of his pride in his son's determination to overcome any difficulties in his path. "He has never been bothered at being so small. He has no inferiority complex. He is the jewel of our family."

A sheriff's deputy dumps a paralyzed man from a wheelchair

A sheriff's deputy was videotaped dumping a paralyzed man from a wheelchair onto a jailhouse floor in order to search him.

Brian Sterner 32, said when he was taken into a booking room and told to stand up, Hillsborough County Deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones, 44 grew agitated when he told her that he could not.

See the Surveillance video footage in this link to see how the ugly looking sheriff's deputy dumps the poor man from his wheel chair.

World's fattest man drops 230 kilos (507 pounds)
Uribe,42, weighed in at 570 kilos (1,257 pounds) at his heaviest. Read more here 

Interesting name for a town 

Some of you may have already noticed it, but I have only recently noticed that the weather forecast section of CNN webpage has a default location called Truth Or Consequences, NM. That is a really interesting name for a town.

Picture of the week 

This is a  frozen-over waterfall in Turufan, XinJiang province, China