Zardari has taken Sarabjit’s case very seriously: Krishna

September 09, 2012 12:40 pm | Updated October 18, 2016 02:48 pm IST - Islamabad

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna raised 49-year-old Sarabjit’s case with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting in Islamabad on Friday. File Photo: v. Sudershan

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna raised 49-year-old Sarabjit’s case with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting in Islamabad on Friday. File Photo: v. Sudershan

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has taken “very seriously” the case of Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who has been in a jail for two decades, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said.

Mr Krishna raised 49-year-old Sarabjit’s case with Zardari during a meeting in Islamabad on Friday.

“The President has taken it very seriously and he instructed his office to look into the details,” Mr Krishna told Indian reporters during an interaction here on Saturday evening.

“Our approach is on a humanitarian basis, especially the fact that he has spent almost 20 years in a Pakistani jail,” he said.

The Pakistan government will have to consider factors like Mr Sarabjit’s age and health while deciding on the issue, Mr Krishna said.

Mr Sarabjit was convicted for alleged involvement in a string of bombings in 1990 that killed 14 people. His family says he is a farmer and the victim of mistaken identity.

Mr Sarabjit’s relatives said he strayed into Pakistan in an inebriated state three months after the bombings.

Following the intervention of the Pakistan People’s Party-led government, Mr Sarabjit’s execution was put off indefinitely.

He is currently being held at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore and recently submitted a fresh mercy petition to President Zardari.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.