Sarabjit family seeks Centre’s help as Musharraf rejects mercy plea

“I appeal to Musharraf with my hands folded not to ruin my family,” cried Sukhpreet Kaur, Sarabjit’s wife. Sukhpreet and Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur, have been spearheading the “Save Sarabjit” campaign for the last one year.

“We will keep fighting for his release, the Centre must help us,” said Dalbir, adding that their hopes had risen after Kashmir Singh’s release. “I got many celebratory phone calls, saying that the chances of my brother’s release looked stronger. But this report has come as a major blow to our expectations,” she said.

Sarabjit’s daughters Swapandeep Kaur, 18, and Poonam, 16, also pleaded to Musharraf to pardon him. “We are sending fax messages to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who had earlier assured us help,” said Swapandeep.

Earlier, the family had threatened “mass suicide” if Sarabjit was hanged as per the Pakistani Supreme Court’s verdict in 2006. The family has engaged a Lahore-based advocate, Rana Abdul Hamid, to fight the case.

“We are in contact with him. He said he was yet to get the documents relating to the rejection of the mercy plea,” said Dalbir. She said she had also contacted Pakistan’s Interim Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney, who was instrumental in securing Kashmir’s release.

“He is saying that he will talk to President Musharraf and will extend whatever help possible for Sarabjit, but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must initiate government-to-government dialogue with Pakistan to free my brother,” said Dalbir.