Burney pledges support for Sarabjit Singh

Bhatinda, Apr 4 : Pakistan's human rights activist Ansar Burney has assured support in the fight for Sarabjit Singh's release, but said the final decision rested with President Musharraf.

Burney has been gathering evidence on Sarabjit and has also met several Pakistanis in Indian jails.

"I will go through the details of the case. I would request Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal to ask his officials to show me the details of the FIR and other documents. Though it is the prerogative of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to free Sarabjit. It is his authority to decide to commute his capital punishment to life imprisonment," Burney told reporters after meeting Badal.

On Wednesday, Burney visited Sarabjit Singh's family at his ancestral village at Bhikhiwind.

Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit's sister handed copies of Sarabjit's ration card, voter list, bank passbook, driving license, police report about disappearance of Sarabjit a CD of Pakistani national Salim Shaukat, who in one of the interview with a private TV channel had admitted that he was forced to give witness against Sarabjit.

While assuring the family members of Sarbjit, Burney said that he would be talking to Rana Abdul Hameed, counsel of Sarabjit to discuss his case before submitting his summary to President Pervez Musharraf urging clemency for him.

Family members of as many as half a dozen Indians including prisoners of war from Sirsa, Jammu and many other places met Burney and urged him for helping them in locating their loved ones who has been languishing in various jails of Pakistan.

ANI