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Decision Indian prisoner Sarabjeet Singh’s review petition has been dismissed by the Pakistan Supreme Court and now his life is dependant on Presisent Asif Ali Zardari’s mercy. Sarabjeet has been projected responsible for 1990’s bomb blasts in Pakistan and an anti-terrorism court had declared him responsible for the crime and had sentenced him to death. A bench of judges of Supreme Court led by Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed has upheld his death sentence. It must be learnt that Sarabjeet had challenged anti-terror court’s decision in the Supreme Court and his mercy petition is also lying in the President office. His lawyer Rana Abdul Hameed had failed to appear in the court in some last hearings and the latest one. His lawyer failed to give any specific reason for his absence. At one time he said that he could not reach the court in time and thus failed to attend the court proceedings which resulted in what was not being expected by the Indian people and the peace lovers of both of the countries. Rana Abdul Hameed told the reporters that he could not attend the court proceedings because now he is a government lawyer. He told that Punjab government had appointed him Additional Advocate last year. All this indicates about some foul play. We can say that whole of the Pakistani machinery is working to hang Sarabjeet as early as possible. Some reports had also emerged that Sarabjeet could not pay the fees of his lawyer that was why he was absent from the court. The Bench has upheld the decision saying that there is no one available to defend him.

Courts and Government The decision has once again pulled the attention of the people and media of both the countries and also of the international media. Sarabjeet’s fate is now in the hands of the Pakistani President. There is only one hope of his survival and it is from the President office. When President’s spokes person Farhatullah Babbar was asked about Supreme Court’s decision regarding Sarabjeet’s death sentence, he declined to comment. Last year’s April 1 was the date when Sarabjeet was to be hanged but because of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s inference in the matter had resulted in dismissal of the sentence. Lahore High Court had also upheld his death sentence in 2003 and then in August, 2005 Supreme Court had also dismissed his review petition. All the hopes of survival had ended for him when, last year, President Musarraf had dismissed his mercy petition. Later on Musarraf had taken the decision of delaying his hanging by 30 days. This had happened because of Indian government’s repeated requests and the efforts of the Pakistan People’s Party government of that time. In October last year, Law Minister Farooq Naik had met Sarabjeet in Kot Lakhpat Jail and had investigated into the case so that President Asif Ali Zardari could take any decision on this mercy petition. But this matter is pending still with the President office. Naik who is now the Chairman of the Senate has said only it that the decision on Sarabjeet’s mercy petition is only in the hands of the President as Supreme Court has dismissed his review petition.

Pakistani Machinery It must be leant that Sarabjeet was in the Pakistani Police’s custody three months prior to the bomb blasts he is accused of. His family had got a letter after nine months of his disappearance, in which he had written that he was in Pakistani Police’s custody as he had crossed the border in an abbreviated situation. His family had gone to Pakistan to meet him and he had told them in the presence of Pakistani officials and secret agencies that he is innocent and fallen prey to intrigues of secret agencies of Pakistan. It must be learnt that during the hearings of review petition the judge had said that there is nothing in this case and Sarabjeet could be released after some hearings. But after it, Pakistani secret agencies had become extra-active had created a new file within some days and had presented it in the court. All these sudden changes indicate that whole of the Pakistani machinery and secret agencies were determined to prove Sarabjeet guilty otherwise his release could have exposed their failures.