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Journalism of Courage
Pakistan government said it was 8216;actively considering8217; a request from India for clemency to death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh and a decision will be taken in 8216;due course8217;.
Asked if the Indian national, who was sentenced to death for alleged involvement in the 1990 blasts in Punjab province, would be hanged, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said, 8220;the issue of Sarabjit Singh is under active consideration by the Pakistan government.8221;
8220;We have received a request from the Indian government. A decision will be taken in due course,8221; he said, but did not provide details.
His comments follow Pakistan President8217;s office statement that no mercy petition for the condemned Indian national was pending with it.
President Pervez Musharraf8217;s spokesman Maj Gen retired Rashid Qureshi said a mercy petition received by the presidency some time ago from Sarabjit8217;s family had been forwarded to Interior Ministry, which will have to consider it and pass on the recommendations to the Prime Minister8217;s secretariat.
8220;The President acts only on the recommendations of the Prime Minister,8221; Qureshi said.
Pakistan government, which had earlier postponed the April one hanging of Sarabjit for 30 days, has also allowed his family to visit him in Lahore8217;s Kot Lakhpat jail.
8220;The Home Department of Punjab province has given us permission to go and meet Sarabjit and we will shortly be leaving for Lahore,8221; the Indian prisoner8217;s sister Dalbir Kaur said.
Sarabjit8217;s wife Sukhpreet Kaur and his daughters Swapandeep and Poonam along with his sister and her husband Baldev Singh had arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday.
