145;No Pak prisoner in lieu of Sarabjit146;

Jaiswal, however, added that if any Pakistani prisoner can be 8220;lawfully8221; set free then it will be done. On Wednesday, Sarabjit8217;s wife Sukhpreet Kaur had also said that they did not wish him to be repatriated from Pakistan if it meant that India had to release hardcore terrorists in exchange.

8220;I and my daughters would never like that Sarabjit should be freed if any hardcore Pakistani terrorists lodged in Indian jails are released in exchange,8221; she had said. 8220;Nothing is above the nation and we can8217;t go against the interests of our motherland.8221;

Meanwhile, PTI reports quoted sources in the Pakistani administration as saying that the authorities concerned with Sarabjit8217;s case had decided that it would be best for the issue to be 8220;put on hold8221; till the new Government is formed by the Pakistan People8217;s Party and its allies.

A statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said: 8220;The reprieve now allows time for the appeals for clemency to be given proper consideration from all angles, including by the new Government expected to take office in Pakistan soon.8221;

The case has found an ally in Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir, who supported the demand for clemency, but slammed both Islamabad and New Delhi for 8220;playing politics8221; over the lives of prisoners.

In Chandigarh, Sarabjit8217;s daugther Swapandeep Kaur said it appeared that Pakistan had softened its stand on her father. 8220;We have applied for visas and if they allow us to visit Pakistan, we will produce evidence on his innocence,8221; she said.