In the wake of Dr Khaleel Chishti’s return to Pakistan after 20 years, India will take up the matter of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian prisoner convicted for serial bombings in Pakistan, during the Home secretary-level bilateral talks later this week.
Earlier on May 10, the Supreme Court granted permission to Chishti to visit his hometown, Karachi. Sarabjit was convicted for carrying out serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan in 1990, and has spent 22 years in jail. Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur had met Home Minister P Chidambaram, and requested him to ask Home Secretary RK Singh to raise the issue during the talks, Press Trust of India reported.
“The Home minister has assured me that the Home secretary will raise the issue of early release of Sarabjit during the talks with Pakistan. I am hopeful about a positive outcome in the meeting. I appeal to the Pakistani government to release Sarabjit on humanitarian grounds like India did in case of Pakistani virologist Khaleel Chishti,” she said.
