Pak may free Sarabjit if India reciprocates

Maya Mirchandani
Monday, March 17, 2008 (Islamabad)
Can India save Sarabjit Singh in less than a fortnight from now? Pakistan claims Sarabjit is a spy and could be hanged unless the Indian government decides to intervene.Jail authorities in Lahore have received the death warrant for the Indian national who has been on death row in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Central Jail for the past 17 years on charges of plotting bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan.Sarabjit's mercy petition was rejected by President Pervez Musharraf on March 3.According to latest reports, there seem to be indications that his release could be looked into if India is ready to release Pakistani prisoners. It has to be seen whether Indian government makes an intervention or not.NDTV spoke to Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney who said that India now needed to make a goodwill gesture by releasing Pakistani prisoners from its jails.However, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma has said that India has not received any word from Pakistan on Sarabjit's sentence.Meanwhile, Punjab government has appealed to Pakistan saying that it must be Magnanimous.BJP Rajya Sabha MP Najma Heptuallah has demanded that the Sarabjit case and the trial be looked into.''I can't say much in the case of a terrorist but the question is whether it has been established if he is guilty of the crime. We should know how his case was conducted there to be sure if he really indulged in the activities that he is said to have carried out,'' said Najma Heptullah, MP, BJP.Family worriedNews of Sarabjit's has come as a blow to his family in Taran Taran near Amritsar in Punjab. The family has been fighting relentlessly for Sarabjit's release and has petitioned the Pakistan government in the past for his release.''I appeal to the Pakistan government, my husband is innocent and must be released. The Indian government must do whatever it takes to get him back. My husband should be released the way Kashmir Singh was,'' said Sukhpreet Kaur, Sarabjit's wife.Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur met National Security Adviser M K Narayanan last week to seek the PM's intervention in Sarabjit's case.Dalbir Kaur has met Rahul Gandhi and he has assured her that he would to take up the issue with Sonia Gandhi. She also plans to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ask him to intervene.''I met with Rahul Gandhi over the release of Sarabjit. He became emotional on listening to me and tried to contact his mother (Sonia Gandhi) but could not get through. He has asked me to call in the evening by which time I would learn of the initiatives being undertaken for his release,'' said Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit's sister.The family says they are not giving up and will appeal to both the Pakistani and Indian government.But it seems that the order to hang Sarabjit, or at least the fact the it was issued now, may be some sort of a tit for tat.After sending back Kashmir Singh, the Indian who had been on death row in Pakistan for 35 years, the Pakistanis had not expected that Khalid Mehmood, who died in Indian custody, would be sent back dead.According to Pakistani authorities, Mehmood had gone to India to watch an India-Pakistan cricket match but was picked up by the security agencies and tortured.They also allege that India did not even inform the Pakistan High Commission after they arrested Mehmood.When his body was sent back, there were protests and anger among Pakistanis over releasing Kashmir Singh.However, Indian authorities say Mehmood was arrested when he overstayed his visa and that he had some suspicious papers on him.They also say he died in hospital when he was being treated for an abdominal condition.Sarabjit to be hangedSarabjit Singh, condemned to death for his alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in Pakistan in 1990, will be hanged on April 1 in a prison in Lahore.The death warrant for Sarabjit was received by authorities in Lahore jail, the Urdu newspaper Daily Express reported on Sunday.Sarabjit's mercy petition was sent to Musharraf along with that of Indian prisoner Kashmir Singh, who was freed after spending 35 years on death row in Pakistani jails.There was no official confirmation of the development.Sarabjit was sentenced to death for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan that killed about 14 people. His family denies he was a spy as claimed by Pakistan and insists he accidentally strayed into Pakistani territory.In his mercy petition sent to Musharraf, Sarabjit had sought his release on the grounds that he was innocent and wrongly implicated.The petition was rejected by the President after ''thorough consideration'' as the allegations against him ''were proved and he was awarded capital punishment by court'', official sources said.Pakistan's Supreme Court too had rejected Sarabjit's plea for clemency in March 2006.Following the rejection of Sarabjit's mercy petition by the President, the interior ministry had informed the government of Punjab province to take steps to carry out his death sentence. (With PTI Inputs)


User Comments [ +Comment on the story ]




Latest Comments



· As much as we need to support a Indian national, we should allow the Pakistan law to take its course. We cannot dictate terms here. This case is different from Afzal case.
Posted by Srivatsava at 8:59 on Mar 17, 2008



· I sincerely pray that sarabjit singh will be spared nd good sense will prevail in Pakistan, especially President Musharraff whom i respect and admire. It is a duty of all the world citizens, especially Indians and Pakistanis to prevent this unfortunate person from becoming a victim of politics. I pray to god.
Posted by Ravi at 5:27 on Mar 17, 2008



· Hello All, From the photos seen in the Media, it doesnt seems that he is actually guilty for what he is going to be punished. As always, Indian government is silent without taking care of their nationals. Please learn from Countries like Israel where each national carries his/her value for nation. If Indian Govt knows he is guilty then please put the evidence infront of media, else, make efforts so as to stop and change the sentence at least..
Posted by Ranvir at 5:10 on Mar 17, 2008



· It is a sad development but there is no question of clemency for afzal, we as a country need to come out of image of soft nation and not repeat the mistake we did in kandhar.Nation can't run by emotions.
Posted by greenberet at 1:46 on Mar 17, 2008



· Taking life for life is immoral.Each one even defected should be given chance to amend ways. We don't have right to take anybody's life. It again amounts to murder by the state. Let all of us show our strength to stop this inhuman act of 'hanging', by joining a signature campaign..
Posted by s. r. at 23:45 on Mar 16, 2008



· govt of india should take up the matter with new govt of pakistan for saving sarabjit and every indian should participate in mobilising the opinion and communicating the same to govt of india.if we can free 3 terriorists for saving passengers of ic-814,we should set free afzal for saving sarabjit.
Posted by navjeet at 23:18 on Mar 16, 2008



· That's a shocking news ... we have been expecting his home coming and amidst all these , today we get to know he is being hanged. Well, if thats the punishment and if he is found guilty of it, then its the right of Pakistan government to take any action within their law. But is it that we the Indians and still living in the world preached by Mahatma Gandhi's Ahimsa. Can our government learn a lesson and prosecute those terrorists that they have been feeding all these while at the cost of poor indian citizens who are filing taxes by cutting down their expenses. When is India going to take such a step? If not, let us make a law where these terrorists are fed by money provided by cunning Indian politicians .. whether its BJP, congress, or for that matter they are all same ( 95% cunning politicians)
Posted by NISHANT KUMAR at 22:13 on Mar 16, 2008



· When is the Republic of India going to hang Afzal Guru? Why does it not hang him on Apr 1?
Posted by Kaushik at 21:36 on Mar 16, 2008



· Why dont India hang terrorist caught in India? Why we have so lengthy process? Why we keep them in prison and feed them. Just catch and shoot. I think we should get tougher with these people, when they are catching our people and calling them terrorists.
Posted by Prafulla at 21:25 on Mar 16, 2008



· Media and we people should bring this agenda in lime light..and our politician should do whatever require to save the life of our fellow brothers even of it require to free all pakistani prisoners from our jail.
Posted by Manish at 21:25 on Mar 16, 2008


The BJP has been criticized for releasing 3 terrorists for the return of over 180 passengers and crew of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane at Khandhahar. I wonder how many terrorists the Congress will release to save Sarabjit or would the Congress not bother about Sarabjit except for tokenism. For us, the price of one Indian must be more valuable than any number of terrorists. However, for each number of terrorist we release, we must hunt down twice the number of terrorists and kill them.