News
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sarabjit should be pardoned, says Gilani
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani believes that Indian national Sarabjit Singh should be pardoned and has asked President Pervez Musharraf to review his case. “I have advised the president that he should stop (Sarabjit’s) execution and it should be reviewed by the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice and Human Rights,” Gilani told Indian interviewer Karan Thapar on the programme “Devil’s Advocate”. Asked if he personally believed that Sarabjit should be pardoned, Gilani, said: “That is the reason I have advised the resident. Now it’s up to the ministries to take a decision.” Replying to a question on whether he had sought a review with a view to a pardon, he said: “They (the ministries) will think on those lines. They will consider whether the case is fit or not and will then take a decision.” Sarabjit was originally set to be hanged on April 1, and his execution was initially deferred for 30 days by Musharraf. This was done so that Pakistan’s new government could review his case following an appeal for clemency from the Indian government. Following Gilani’s intervention, Pakistani authorities put off the execution “until further orders”. nni
Courtesy Daily Times