LAHORE: Doctors at the Jinnah Hospital said on Sunday that the condition of convicted Indian spy Sarabjit Singh continued to be critical and he had not regained consciousness.

The death row convict was thrashed with bricks and blunt objects by fellow inmates in Kot Lakhpat Jail on April 26.

Four members of Singh’s family arrived in Lahore via Wagah border on Sunday and visited him in the hospital amid tight security.

The medical superintendent of Jinnah Hospital briefed the family on the treatment being provided to him.

Punjab IG Prisons Mian Farooq Nazeer and Indian High Commission’s First Secretary C.K. Das were present on the occasion. One of Singh’s daughters sprinkled the ‘holy water’ on the face of his father.

Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur told reporters that she had come to Pakistan at a difficult time.

Ms Kaur said she, Singh’s wife and two daughters had been given 15-day visa and one of them had been allowed to stay at the hospital as an attendant.

DIG (Investigations) Zulfiqar Hameed told Dawn that police had so far interrogated two accused prisoners and Singh was in no position to give a statement. He said the investigation would focus on his statement.

He said the process of investigation would continue in jail and statements of jail officials and witnesses would be recorded.

AFP adds: A senior doctor at Jinnah Hospital said: “The family have been provided a room inside the hospital. They met Sarabjit Singh. He was still in coma and his condition was critical.”

Ms Kaur thanked Pakistani people for their prayers for her brother’s recovery and hoped he would get well soon and be allowed to return to India.

Singh’s lawyer, Owais Sheikh, earlier told AFP that his client had received threats following the execution of Kashmiri separatist Afzal Guru in New Delhi on Feb 9.

Singh, 49, was convicted over a string of bomb attacks in Punjab which killed 14 people in 1990. His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former president Pervez Musharraf.

His family says he is a victim of mistaken identity and he had inadvertently strayed across the border.

Meanwhile, Indian government officials told AFP in New Delhi that Pakistan had denied consular access to Singh.

“Officials from the Indian High Commission in Pakistan were not allowed to visit Sarabjit Singh on Sunday. The authorities have also refused to share his medical updates with the Indian officials,” said a senior Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the Indian foreign ministry was making “every possible attempt” to get information about Singh’s health and using every “diplomatic mechanism to get an update about the situation”.

“It is crucial for us to know about Singh’s health and Pakistan cannot deny information to India,” said another government official in New Delhi. The Pakistan foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.