New Delhi: A Pakistani lawyer representing Sarabjit Singh, an Indian facing the gallows in Pakistan, has once again expressed hope for a quick resolution of his case.
Awais Sheikh, Singh’s legal counsel, who is on a visit to New Delhi, said: “I have every hope that the current government, led by (Asif Ali) Zardari will commute Sarabjit’s death sentence before the new government that will be formed in March. I have faith that this is what the government wants, and that Sarabjit will be released before the end of its tenure.”
Sarabjit Singh was sentenced to death in 1991 on charges of spying and also bombing that killed 14 people.
However, his family contends he is innocent and a victim of wrong identity who crossed into Pakistan in 1990 in an inebriated state.
Sheikh revealed his views while speaking at an event to mark the release of ‘Sarabjit Singh: A Case of Mistaken Identity’, a book authored by him in New Delhi.
Chairman of the Press Council of India Justice Markandey Katju formally released the book at a well-attended function.
The prisoner’s sister, Dalbir Kaur, said: “Rehman Malik (Pakistan Interior Minister) had told us to come to Pakistan with a mercy petition on the family’s behalf. I have full faith that when I meet him with that appeal, he will facilitate my brother’s release on humanitarian grounds.”
The Pakistan Government suspended Sarabjit Singh's death sentence in 2008 after his family visited Pakistan and appealed for a pardon.
But a three-member bench upheld the sentence, saying they had no reason to reconsider the original sentence.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, January 06, 2013, 13:43