LAHORE â Indian diplomats yesterday met a prisoner held on death row in Pakistan on bombing and spying charges, saying afterwards that they were hopeful of resolving the case. âI am sure both India and Pakistan would reach some sort of understanding on the issue,â Deepak Kaul, visa counsellor at the Indian High Commission (embassy) in Islamabad, said after the two-hour meeting at a jail in Lahore.
| Night. Bridge. Fog. Moonlight. Trenchcoats. Muttering voices. Menacing looks. |
Sarabjit Singhâs family says he is a farmer who crossed the border 15 years ago while drunk. His sister says her brother has been confused with a Manjit Singh, whom Pakistan wants for a series of bombings in Lahore in 1990. The case has caused uproar and protests in India, with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assuring the prisonerâs relatives that he would speak to Pakistanâs President Pervez Musharraf about the possibility of clemency.
After 15 years of litigation, the Pakistani Supreme Court upheld the lower court verdicts this month and ordered his hanging but set no date for the execution. The condemned manâs lawyers are to apply for a judicial review and if that is turned down, their only hope would be a presidential pardon from President Musharraf. |