PPP not scared by Musharraf’s ‘last bullet in pistol’: General Secretary

Faislabad, May 10 (ANI): Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) General Secretary Jehangir Badar has challenged former President General Pervez Musharraf to face the probe being conducted into former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination if he wants to comeback in country’s politics, saying the party is not scared by his ‘one last bullet in pistol.’

Interacting with media persons here, Badar backed the UN commission’s report over Bhutto’s murder, saying Musharraf was directly responsible for her assassination.

“We are not going to be scared no matter how many bullets does Musharraf have in his pistol,” he said while referring to Musharraf’s remark that he has one final bullet in his pistol which he will use for his defence in the murder case.

It is pertinent to mention here that Musharraf had outrightly rejected the UN commission’s report, saying it contained no new information.

The UN enquiry commission”s report had blamed the then Musharraf government of ”deliberately” failing to probe the 27 December 2007 suicide attack on Bhutto, saying the tragedy could have been averted if adequate security arrangements would have been made.

“The Musharraf government failed to provide foolproof security to Ms. Bhutto which ultimately allowed a lethal assault on her. The security breach left wide-open room for an attack to happen,” the report said in its opening
remarks. (ANI)

Will Sarabjeet be spared the gallows under Pak Govt.’s plans to commute death sentences?

Islamabad, Sep.17 (ANI): The Pakistan government is considering commuting death sentences, but such a step may not help the cause of Sarabjeet Singh, the Indian inmate who has been awarded a death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said the government has sent a draft to the law division seeking legal opinion on the proposal to commute death sentences.

Rehman, however, said that even if the proposal is accepted there would be no mercy for terrorists.

“They (terrorists) will have to face the death penalty,” The Dawn quoted Malik, as saying.

According to an estimate there are 7000 death inmates in Pakistan at present.

Pakistan security agencies have maintained that Singh had admitted that he was sent to Pakistan to carry out serial bomb blasts in Lahore, Faislabad, and Kasur, and was trained by the Indian Army, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Singh was awarded the death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

He challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in September, 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time period as mentioned in the law.

In March 2006, a two member Supreme Court bench dismissed Singh’s petition against his conviction in the Lahore’s Yakki Gate bomb blast in 1990.

Singh has been languishing in Pakistan jails for the last 28 years, as Pakistan has stonewalled release even on humanitarian grounds, despite continuous efforts by Indian diplomatic channels. (ANI)

Pak death row inmate Sarabjit Singh’s mercy plea forwarded to Zardari

Lahore, July 9 (ANI): Sarabjit Singh’s mercy plea, requesting that his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment, has been forwarded to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, The Daily Times reports.

The plea was moved after the Supreme Court rejected Singh’s petition challenging the death sentence awarded to him earlier.

The Pakistan Supreme Court on June 24 had dismissed the review petition filed by Singh after his lawyer, Rana Abdul Hameed failed to appear before the court.

Hameed was not able to reach the court on time and missed the proceedings, which worked against the case and an ex-parte order was passed by the court.

Later, Singh was given a new lawyer to represent him in the court.

Singh, who is currently languishing in the Kot Lakhpat jail, is a resident of Amritsar.

He was arrested near the Kasur border in Pakistan in August 1990.

Pakistan security agencies said that Singh had admitted that he was sent to Pakistan to carry out serial bomb blasts in Lahore, Faislabad, and Kasur, and was trained by the Indian Army, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Singh was awarded the death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

He challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in September, 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time period as mentioned in the law.

In March 2006, a two member Supreme Court bench dismissed Singh’s petition against his conviction in the Lahore’s Yakki Gate bomb blast in 1990.

Singh has been languishing in Pakistan jails for the last 28 years, as Pakistan has denied setting him free, despite continuous efforts by the Indian diplomatic channels. (ANI)

A ray of hope for the Sarabjit Singh from Pakistan’s apex court

Bhikhiwind (Punjab), June 21 (ANI): A ray of hope has emerged here for Sarabjit Singh alias Manjeet Singh’s family, as his lawyer will file a review petition against his hanging at the Pakistani Supreme Court on Monday.

Sarbjit’s wife Sukhpreet Kaur, daughters, Swapandeep and Poonam and sister Dalbir Kaur of Sarbjit Singh on Sunday performed prayers (Ardas) at the local Gurdwara.

The family on this occasion said that it wants the Pakistani authorities to look at the case with sympathy, as it’s a case of mistaken identity and claims he is innocent.

The family also has urged the Indian leadership to include Sarbjit’s case on its top agenda while talking to Pakistan.

“It was good to know that the Pakistan Supreme Court would hear his review petition against the death sentence awarded to him for his alleged involvement in three bomb blasts on Monday. Though lot of efforts are being done by the Indian government but we are worried as now Sarbjit is still languishing in Pakistani jail for the last 19 years”, said Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarbjit Singh.

According to the family of Sarbjit Singh, who has been sentenced to death for alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Lahore, he is a victim of mistaken identity.

He has been convicted of espionage and terrorism and sentenced to death for being a spy for the Indian RAW. He has been accused of masterminding the 1990 bomb blasts in serial bomb blasts in Lahore, Faislabad, and Kasur.

“My father is innocent. I hope that after hearing the review petition of my father, the Pakistan’s Supreme court would release Papa,” said Swapandeep, elder daughter of Sarbjit.

Sarabjit Singh is a resident of Amritsar in Punjab. He was arrested near the Kasur border in Pakistan in August 1990. As per his family, he had actually strayed into Pakistan’s territory in an inebriated state.

Singh was awarded death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991 for carrying out serial bomb blasts in Pakistan.

He challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in September 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time period as mentioned in the law. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

Pak Supreme Court to hear Sarabjeet’s petition on June 22

Islamabad, June 20 (ANI): The Pakistan Supreme Court (SC) would hear the review petitions filed by Manjeet Singh alias Sarabjeet Singh, against the death sentence awarded to him for his alleged involvement in three bomb blasts, on Monday, June 22.

Singh, a resident of Amritsar, was arrested near the Kasur border in Pakistan in August 1990.

Pakistan security agencies said that Singh had admitted that he was sent to Pakistan to carry out serial bomb blasts in Lahore, Faislabad, and Kasur, and was trained by the Indian Army, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Singh was awarded the death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

He challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in September, 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time period as mentioned in the law.

In March 2006, a two member Supreme Court bench dismissed Singh’s petition against his conviction in the Lahore’s Yakki Gate bomb blast in 1990.

Singh has been languishing in Pakistan jails for the last 28 years, as Pakistan has denied setting him free, despite continuous efforts by the Indian diplomatic channels. (ANI)