Click to play videoNew Delhi: Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner on death row in Pakistan for alleged terrorism, may walk out of Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail soon, sources in the Pakistan government have told CNN-IBN.
Top officials in Pakistan’s Interior Ministry told CNN-IBN that Sarabjit's death sentence is likely to be commuted to life and as he has served 18 years in jail he could be released almost immediately.
Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League (N) chief Nawaz Sharif, who are partners in the country’s coalition government, told CNN-IBN nothing would be gained by hanging Sarabjit.
Pakistan would convert Sarabjit death sentence to life term, said Zardari.
“It is bad to hang people,” said Sharif. The two leaders said hanging Sarabjit would harm relations with India and could affect the cases of Pakistanis held in Indian prisons.
Sarbajit was arrested in 1990 from near the international border and charged with spying and carrying out four bombings that killed 14 people and injured dozens more in Lahore and Faisalabad. Pakistan's Supreme Court in 2006 upheld the death sentence.
Sarabjit’s wife, daughters and sister met him for about 30 minutes in Kot Lakhpat Prison on Thursday and called for his release. “We are happy and sad. I hope he and prisoners languishing in Pakistani and Indian jails will get released,” said Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjit’s sister who has been campaigning for his release.
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