India to release more than 100 Pakistani prisoners
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New Delhi: Pakistan's human rights activist Ansar Burney on Tuesday said that New Delhi is ready to release more than 100 Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails. Briefing the media, after holding talks with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon in the Capital, Burney said, "I want to convey the Indian Government's decision to release large number of Pakistani prisoners. I am grateful to Indian Government in general and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular. I will wait and see if Pakistan responds in a befitting manner."
The two countries frequently arrest each other's fishermen for intruding into their waters despite a thaw in relations since they launched the peace process in 2004. Many of those arrested have been in prison for years, often without a trial. Last year, both countries agreed to release all arrested fishermen and speed up the release of other civilian prisoners.
Burney who has been actively pursuing the case of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who is facing death sentence in Pakistan's prison, said, "We have not discussed the issue Sarabjit in particular because Sarabjit is one case. We have to deal with many cases and Sarabjit's is one of them.". "If settlement of this (Sarabjit) case can bring both the nations together, then I think he should be forgiven," he said.
Last month, Burney had urged the new Pakistani Government to consider converting Sarabjit's death sentence into life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds as he had spent more time than a life sentence on death row in Pakistani jails.Burney had also played a significant role in the release of another Indian Kashmir Singh, who had spent 35 years in Pakistani jails.
Sarabjit has been on death row since the Pakistan's Supreme Court rejected his petition for mercy in March 2006. He has been accused of having played a major role in serial blasts across Pakistan, which claimed at least 14 lives in 1991. President Pervez Musharraf had earlier rejected his appeal for clemency.
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The two countries frequently arrest each other's fishermen for intruding into their waters despite a thaw in relations since they launched the peace process in 2004. Many of those arrested have been in prison for years, often without a trial. Last year, both countries agreed to release all arrested fishermen and speed up the release of other civilian prisoners.
Burney who has been actively pursuing the case of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who is facing death sentence in Pakistan's prison, said, "We have not discussed the issue Sarabjit in particular because Sarabjit is one case. We have to deal with many cases and Sarabjit's is one of them.". "If settlement of this (Sarabjit) case can bring both the nations together, then I think he should be forgiven," he said.
Last month, Burney had urged the new Pakistani Government to consider converting Sarabjit's death sentence into life imprisonment on humanitarian grounds as he had spent more time than a life sentence on death row in Pakistani jails.Burney had also played a significant role in the release of another Indian Kashmir Singh, who had spent 35 years in Pakistani jails.
Sarabjit has been on death row since the Pakistan's Supreme Court rejected his petition for mercy in March 2006. He has been accused of having played a major role in serial blasts across Pakistan, which claimed at least 14 lives in 1991. President Pervez Musharraf had earlier rejected his appeal for clemency.
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