Prison sentence: Surjeet Singh’s hearing on February 27
Singh has been in jail since Oct 31, 1985, completed sentence a year ago.
LAHORE:
Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday postponed for February 27 the proceedings on a petition seeking the release and inclusion of Indian prisoner Surjeet Singh alias Makhan Singh’s name on the list of foreign prisoners in Pakistani jails despite completion of their jail terms.
The judge deferred the hearing as the reply of the Interior Ministry was not submitted. Advocate Awais Sheikh had requested the court to issue directions to the foreign affairs secretary and the superintendent of the Lahore Central Jail to include Singh among foreign prisoners who have served their sentence.
On Thursday, the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail submitted his report. He stated that Singh’s jail term had finished a year ago but his fate would be decided after a direction from the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi and the presidency. He said that Surjeet Singh had been in jail since October 31, 1985. He had been sentenced to death. The prisoner had submitted his mercy petition before the chief of army staff which was rejected with the direction to forward his petition to president of Pakistan. He stated that Surjeet Singh’s mercy petition was forwarded to the president on December 24, 1985, but during the pendency of the mercy petition, the president of Pakistan had granted a general amnesty to all condemned prisoners.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2012.
Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday postponed for February 27 the proceedings on a petition seeking the release and inclusion of Indian prisoner Surjeet Singh alias Makhan Singh’s name on the list of foreign prisoners in Pakistani jails despite completion of their jail terms.
The judge deferred the hearing as the reply of the Interior Ministry was not submitted. Advocate Awais Sheikh had requested the court to issue directions to the foreign affairs secretary and the superintendent of the Lahore Central Jail to include Singh among foreign prisoners who have served their sentence.
On Thursday, the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail submitted his report. He stated that Singh’s jail term had finished a year ago but his fate would be decided after a direction from the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi and the presidency. He said that Surjeet Singh had been in jail since October 31, 1985. He had been sentenced to death. The prisoner had submitted his mercy petition before the chief of army staff which was rejected with the direction to forward his petition to president of Pakistan. He stated that Surjeet Singh’s mercy petition was forwarded to the president on December 24, 1985, but during the pendency of the mercy petition, the president of Pakistan had granted a general amnesty to all condemned prisoners.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2012.