Pakistan's midnight flip not linked to Jundal's arrest: Chidambaram

Thiruvanthapuram -  Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said Pakistan's decision to release Surjeet Singh and not Sarabjit Singh has no connection with the  arrest of 26/11 handler Abu Jundal.

Chidambaram said India has continued to press Sarabjit's case before the Pakistani Government.

"I don't think this has any connection with Abu Jundal's arrest. I think this was on the works. We continued to press Sarabjit's case. The Home Secretary-level talks we have pressed  Sarabjit's case. Sarabjit's family met me. Foreign Minister has taken up this case," he said.

Chidambaram further said there might be some internal hiccups in Pakistan in this regard.

"Now, why they first put out or appeared to put out that Sarabjit is the person who is being released and then they flipped and said it is Surjeet who is being released. I cannot say, but when I  was first told by a newspaper friend that Sarabjit has been released and asked for a comment," said Chidambaram.

"I declined a comment because I was not sure that the news was right. Later in the night, it turned out that it was not Sarabjit but Surjeet. May be there are some internal hiccups there, but I  don't think it has any connection with Abu Jundal's case," he added.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, who was also present at the media briefing expressed hope that Pakistan will look into the contradictions compassionately and  release both Surjeet and Sarabjit.

 "I have come to know that Surjeet Singh's death sentence was commuted to a life term in 2004 during the regime of an earlier president. So, now that he has finished the number of years,  which are mandatory for life imprisonment, he is being released. Whereas it was very specifically mentioned that President Zardari had commuted the death sentence to life sentence and  since Sarabjit has already served more than a life sentence it was that he is going to be released," said Soni.

"I am sure that this contradiction will be looked at sensitively, compassionately by the Pakistan authorities and they will release both Surjeet Singh and Sarabjit Singh," she added.

India has today requested Pakistan to release death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh.

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.

Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur also requested the Pakistan Government to release Sarabjit Singh on humanitarian grounds.

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.