Sarabjit Singh to file fresh mercy petition: Report

Indian prisoner on death row writes letter to President Zardari, seeks mercy on humanitarian grounds.

Indian prisoner on death row, Sarabjit Singh, will submit a fresh mercy petition to be sent to President Asif Ali Zardari requesting for his pardon, reported Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday.

According to the report, Sarabjit’s counsel Awais Sheikh met him at Kot Lakhpat jail on Saturday to have the new mercy petition filed.

In the letter addressed to the president, Sarabjit sought mercy while referring to a recent meeting between Zardari and former Indian external affairs minister SM Krishna.

“After the release of (Pakistani prisoner) Pervez Khalil Chishti by the Indian government on humanitarian grounds, the people of India, especially my family, have pinned hopes on my release on the same ground,” wrote Sarabjit as quoted by the PTI report.

Sarabjit added that such an act of forgiveness is liked in Islam and God would reward the president for such an act.

The Indian prisoner has already written two letters to the president requesting pardon, while an application has also been filed in the Supreme Court seeking withdrawal of a pending petition for reopening his case.

According to prosecution, Sarabjit had illegally crossed into Pakistan from Kasur on August 29, 1990.

He was arrested on charges of conducting four bomb blasts in Faisalabad, Multan and Lahore. He is named Manjeet Singh in the FIR. He was sentenced to death.

His counsel claimed it was a case of mistaken identity.