India asks Pakistan to release Sarabjit on humanitarian grounds

Shimla / New Delhi - Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on Wednesday requested the Pakistan Government to release death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh on humanitarian grounds.

"We welcome the release of Surjeet, but it is a great disappointment for the family, for the people of Punjab and India that the hopes that Sarabjit had been released have been dashed. But we would appeal to the humanitarian side of the Pakistani Government and the President following the release of Surjeet that they would also show the same clemency to Sarabjit," Kaur told the media here.

"There seems to be some miscommunication and really my heart goes out to Sarabjeet's family, who must have rejoiced and now might be very upset and depressed. I am sorry that this did not take place, but we hope that Pakistan President and the government will on a humanitarian ground show clemency towards Sarabjit," she added.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna earlier today said that he welcomes Islamabad's decision to release Surjeet Singh, but added that New Delhi has consistently urged the Government of Pakistan on several occasions to take a sympathetic and humanitarian view in the case of Sarabjit Singh.

Krishna also made an appeal to the Pakistani Government to release all Indian nationals, who have completed their prison term or are serving jail sentences.

Hours after reports emerged that Pakistan was to free Sarabjit Singh, the presidential spokesman clarified last night that the authorities had taken steps for the release of another Indian prisoner named Surjeet Singh.

Surjeet Singh, currently being held in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, has been in Pakistani captivity for over 30 years. He was captured near the border with India on charges of spying during the era of military ruler Zia-ul-Haq.

It was earlier reported that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has converted Sarabjit Singh's death sentence to life imprisonment and directed authorities to release him if he had completed his prison term.

Forty nine-year-old Sarabjit, who has spent 21 years on death row, is currently being held at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Sarabjit, who was condemned to death for his involvement in a string of bombings in Punjab in 1990, had earlier last month filed a fresh clemency appeal to President Zardari.

Preneet Kaur further said the foreign-ministerial level talks between the two nations has been postponed because of the presidential election here, and expressed hope that the relationship between the two Asian neighbours will come to its logistic conclusion in the near future.

"The meeting between the two foreign ministers has been postponed because they clashed with our presidential election. So, I think there is always hope as I said and it's an ongoing process. We need a lot of patience with each other. We need to build our trust more and more, so that we do have a good relationship with the neighbour," she said.

Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi on July 4th and 5th to discuss peace and security including CBMs, Jammu and Kashmir, and promotion of friendly exchanges.

Talks between the foreign secretaries of the two neighbouring nations becomes special in the event of arrest of key Mumbai terror attack suspect and Indian Mujahideen terrorist Abu Jundal, as the Indian side is expected to increase on their Pakistani counterparts for extradition of other accused militants hiding in the latter's country.

Jundal was arrested on his arrival from Saudi Arabia at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport by Delhi Police on June 21. He is currently in the custody of Special Cell till July 5.