Pakistan nationals living in India appeal for Sarabjeet Singh's release

Tirur (Kerala), June 26 (ANI): Currently languishing in Pakistan jail, Indian prisoner Sarabjeet Singh has found supporters in Pakistani nationals living in India.

Around 180 registered citizens holding Pakistan passports, residing in Tirur in Kerala are gearing up to put forth an appeal to President Asif Ali Zardari to review Sarabjeet's death sentence.

"We are now mobilising these people and we will be getting their signatures on a memorandum and this memorandum we intend to root it to United Nations Human Rights organisation and so also the Commonwealth Human Rights initiative," said Pouran, Human Rights Activist, People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL).

According to these people, their faith does not allow the killing of innocents and as he has suffered for past so many years.

"Past is past. He has suffered a lot in these years. If he has done any wrong, taking revenge or killing someone is not mentioned in our faith and is also not a solution, so releasing him will be the right thing to do," said M Kunju Ahmed, a Pakistan national.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by Sarabjeet Singh seeking a review of a death sentence in his alleged involvement in the Lahore bomb attacks in 1990.

A three-member bench led by Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed dismissed Sarabjit's review petition on the grounds of non-pursuance of the case by his lawyer. Sarabjit's counsel had failed to appear in court for the past few hearings, including the last one on Monday.

Rana Abdul Hamid, the lawyer who was representing Sarabjit, had been unable to appear in court after he was appointed last year an additional advocate general by Punjab province.

Earlier, Ansar Burney, the leading Pakistani Human Rights activist has said that he would file a fresh mercy petition to Pakistan President on behalf of Sarabjit Singh.

"I will file a fresh Mercy petition before the President of Pakistan. I am confident that I will not allow Pakistan Government to hang an innocent person only on the basis that he is Non-Muslim or Indian national," Ansar Burney said.

Sarabjit Singh is a resident of Amritsar in Punjab. He was arrested near the Kasur border in Pakistan in August 1990. As per his family, he had actually strayed into Pakistan"s territory in an inebriated state.

He was awarded death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991 for allegedly carrying out serial bomb blasts in Pakistan. By Juhan Samuel(ANI)