Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, convicted for alleged involvement in bomb attacks in 1990 in Pakistan, has sent a fresh clemency appeal to President Asif Ali Zardari.
This is the fifth mercy petition from Sarabjit, who was sentenced to death for alleged involvement in a string of bombings in Punjab in 1990 that killed 14 people.
The 49-year-old Indian is currently being held at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore and has been on death row for over 20 years.
Sarabjit’s fresh petition, which includes a document with the signatures of 100,000 Indians, urges Zardari to reciprocate the recent release of Pakistani virologist Khalil Chishti by India. Chishti, who was convicted of involvement in the murder of a man in Ajmer in 1992, was recently freed on bail by India’s Supreme Court.
The court subsequently allowed him to visit Pakistan to meet his family.
Attached to Sarabjit’s mercy petition are two letters addressed to Zardari by Delhi’s Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari and Syed Muhammad Yamin Hashmi, the caretaker of the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
Sarabjit’s counsel Owais Sheikh said his client wrote a two-page letter to be sent to the president. “I’ve forwarded both the petition and the letter to President Zardari,” Sheikh said.
Sarabjit has maintained that his was a case of mistaken identity, since even the FIR was not registered in his name. “I have spent 22 years in prison for a crime I have not committed,” he wrote in the petition. The FIR had nominated Manjeet Singh for carrying out four bomb blasts in different cities of Punjab, according to the petition.
Sarabjit’s lawyer said he had documentary proof that his client was in India at the time of bombings. “Manjeet Singh was indeed a terrorist but the authorities have mistaken Sarabjit for Manjeet,” Sheikh said.
In his letter to the president, Maulana Bukhari of the Jama Masjid pointed out that Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur had met him personally and provided “vital evidence” which proved Sarabjit’s innocence.
“Singh should be freed on humanitarian grounds, which will not only help in promoting goodwill between the two neighbors but will also result in promoting communal harmony among Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims of India,” Bukhari wrote.
mercy fine, but for a convicted terrorist? and comparing him with Dr Chishti who was never convicted but held without trial for 20 years. Lets remind ourselves, 14 people died when there was peace in Pakistan all around, because of him! true he has already spent 20 years but we should always remember and respect people who lost lives due these terror attacks on Pakistan.
Sarabjeet Sing's case has nothing in common with the case of Dr Chisty. If there is any similarity between Sarabjeet Sing's case it is with the Bombay terrorist attackers and both of them dont deserve any clemency.
Hes sent it to Zardari who will gladly accept. Zardari is a bigger terrorist, murderer & evil man than anyone we could imagine.
Hang them both together please.
its like asking mercy for ajmal kassab who by the way was never Pakistani. but then again how can we be sure that the already traitor government who has give many abducted citizen to usa while people like raymond davis were also freed with fake diplomatic immunity. i would have thought that it was impossible to release sarbajit but since india offered money Zardari will definitely release him soon.
There is no case against Sarbjeet Singh. There are no evidences. No witnesses, no video recording, no one saw him at the place of blast. Entire joke of a case is built upon confession in police custody- which is not admissible anywhere in the world..only in terror state of Pakistan.
Wow it is new discovery that Ajmal Kasab is not a pakistani..hahahah
you should see confession of Ajmal Kassab you will know yourself. what so ever the case he pleaded guilty but after the indian media got involved only then he started saying no no i am innocent. what was he doing in Pakistan in the first place. he confessed in the court of being manjit as he was accused of 1990's terror attacks in Pakistan. people witnessed him on planting the bomb.
Sarbjeet Singh has been falsely implicated bu blood thirsty Pakistanis. There are no proofs/ evidence against him. Pakistan courts are Kangaroo courts of the world which can not find anything wrong with internationally acclaimed terrorists-infact they are heroes.. and it takes less than few weeks to hold Dr Shakil Afridi Guilty….. hahahah
Typicak sign of a bankrupt terrorist country which is a failed state.
While we appreciate and welcome the release of Surjeet Singh who spent around three decades in Paki jails, but we are also sorry to learn about the Paki authorities taking a U-turn on the release of another Indian prisoner in Kot Lakhpat jail – Mr. Sarabjit Singh, who is also languishing there since 1991, and that too, without any crime being committed. He is really an innocent and serving jail terms because he was caught without a vaild passport for his entry into Paki soils. Earlier Pakistan had converted her death penality into life improsonment and ignited the hopes of his family members to see him released within a couple of days, but just after a night, it took a strange and ugly u-turn and thereby made of mockery of its own decision, in the eyes of the entire international community.
Hence, we once more make a humble request to Paki President, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari to think and act on humanitarian grounds and order his release from jail and thereby provide an opportunity to him to see his family and lakhs of other his well-wishers and dears and nears who daily pray to God for his early freedom. Please give an opportunity to live with his family for the rest of his life
– R.D. Bhardwaj, New Delhi
Terrorist are Terrorist, lets forget what happend. These Killers should had be hanged after a summery court, We should not discuss if we have enough evidence that they have killed innocent people either Indian and or Pakistani.
For someone claiming a Pakistan is Bankcrupt state, well dear we have full off resouces and great heritage. Indian economic ballon is now bursting, and still millions sleep hungry in India
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