Badal urges PM to intervene

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday sought immediate intervention of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the case of 17 Indians sentenced to death by Sharjah Court in UAE on charges of murder of a Pakistani citizen. In a letter to the Prime Minister,Badal urged him to intervene immediately by using his good offices with the UAE government to ensure justice for the 17 Indians. Badal said 17 persons had been convicted for a single murder and it was necessary to see that there was no “miscarriage of justice”.

The Chief Minister also requested the PM to advise the Ministry of External Affairs to provide necessary legal aid for defending their appeals.

The Chief Minister also said that Punjabi labourers and skilled workers had worked for the last 25 years for infrastructure development in UAE and other Middle East countries. He said all these Punjabi youth were the sole breadearners of their families and most of these families had mortgaged their small landholdings to arrange their work visa for UAE. Certain organisations in the country were trying to give it communal colour to instigate the masses,added Badal. Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla also urged the PM to intervene in the issue.