Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Sheikh said Singh’s fresh mercy petition had succeeded in gaining special attention from the President.
“This time, there are bright prospects of Sarabjeet Singh’s release,” he added.
He added that Singh was to be released on Aug 14, 2011, around the same time when Pakistani prisoner Dr Syed Muhammad Khalil Chishti was expected to be released, but the decision was withdrawn at the eleventh hour when Indian authorities did not release Chishti.
The counsel told the media that following a pledge he made before the Lahore High Court, he recently visited India and urged the concerned authorities to speed up the repatriation process of Pakistani citizens detained in Indian jails.
He appealed to the governments of both countries to repatriate the prisoners at the earliest who had completed their jail terms.
During the press conference, Sheikh also expressed his belief that Singh’s release would help in the Indo-Pak peace dialogue.
December last year, an Indian court rejected a plea by the 80-year-old Dr Chishti for his acquittal in a murder case for which he has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
(Read: Life imprisonment for Dr Chishti upheld)
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