Sarabjit's kin to protest in Jantar Mantar for Pak mixup

Jalandhar, Jun 28: After the Pakistan goof-up on Sarbjit Singh, an Indian prisoner on a death row in Pakistan jail since the last couple of years on

charges, the Pakistani authorities in a last minute flip confirmed that it was Surjeet Singh who will be walking free and not

. Sarabjit's family had called the mixup of names a "cruel joke" and decided to hold a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Thursday for Pakistan's astonishing U-turn.

Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit's sister who has been relentlessly campaigning for her brother's release, stated that Sarabjit's family will hold a dharna in protest of Pakistan's flip-flop in terms of Sarabjit's release. In a prelude to the same, a candle-light protest was carried out on Wednesday evening in Jalandhar, Punjab to pressurise Pakistan government to release him.

Sarabjit's family had to bear false hopes when Pakistan had announced late on Tuesday that Sarabjit's death sentence has been commuted by President Asif Ali Zardari and that he will be released. The family rejoiced on hearing the news, but the happiness was short lived when the Pak presidential spokesperson changed stand and announced that it was Surjeet Singh who was going to be released and not Sarabjit. Surjeet was jailed over spying charges and has been languishing in jail for the past 31 years.

According to claims by Sarabjit's family, the hapless Sarabjit had crossed the border in an inebriated state in Aug 1990 and was arrested by Pak officials. He was arrested on terrorism charges and was identified as Manjit Singh by those from the Pak side and was accused of planting two bombs in Pakistan that killed 14 lives.

Pak courts had sentenced him to death in spite of his family vehemently stating that he was innocent.

OneIndia News