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PM, Natwar to take up Sarabjit issue with Pak
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 23
As the Sarabjit Singh issue cut across the party lines and engaged the attention of the country’s top political leadership today, one thing seemed clear: the alleged Indian spy would not be rushed to the gallows by the Pakistan Government. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the issue with External Affairs Minister (EAM) K Natwar Singh today noon. The PM and the EAM decided to take up the sensitive matter with Pakistan rather discreetly and not under the media glare. Immediately afterwards, Mr Natwar Singh called he Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Mr Shiv Shanker Menon, and instructed him to stay engaged with the Pakistani Foreign Office on the Sarabjit issue and keep the Ministry of External Affairs informed. The feedback from Mr Menon helped the MEA and the government firm up their strategy, which was as follows. All judicial processes had been exhausted for Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan and there was only one person who had the power to pardon Sarabjit Singh or commute his death sentence: President Pervez Musharraf. So, the Government of India would opt for this very last option. The Government of India would certainly approach the Pakistan President urging him to grant clemency to Sarabjit Singh, a gesture, if it were to happen, was bound to generate a lot of goodwill among the Indians for the Pakistanis and lead to a groundswell of masses’ support in both countries for the ongoing peace process. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh would not speak to President Pervez Musharraf straightaway without proper homework. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad was expected to sense the mood of the Pakistan Government, particularly General Musharraf, and advise the MEA accordingly. The Indian Government might even decide to first take up the issue at the Foreign Minister-level. This would only be known within next couple of days. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would not hesitate to call upon President Musharraf and personally appeal for clemency for Sarabjit Singh if he were to find it necessary. Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Shamsher Singh Dullo led a six-men delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this morning. During the 20-minute-long meeting he raised the issue of Sarabjit Singh. Mr Dullo and Mr Parminder Singh, General Secretary, PPCC, told the Prime Minister that Sarabjit Singh was not a RAW agent as alleged by Pakistan and it was a case of mistaken identity because of which an
innocent man was awaiting execution. Three MLAs, Mr Tej Prakash Singh, Mr Tarlochan Singh and Mr Malkeet Singh Dakha and Mr Ravneet Singh, PPCC Secretary, were also in this delegation. The delegation came out with the feeling that the Government of India would not leave anything undone to save Sarabjit’s life.The family of Sarabjit Singh, accompanied by several MPs from the BJP and the Akali Dal, including Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, called on Mr Natwar Singh and pressed him to intervene into the matter. India had asked Pakistan for consular access to Sarabjit Singh but till this evening there was no response from Islamabad. The MEA contacted the Pakistani Foreign Office a couple of days ago, urging Islamabad to reconsider the case as it could well be a case of mistaken identity. The MEA had pointed out that the actual name and identity of the accused was Sarabjit Singh, while the case of espionage was against Manjit Singh. The MEA had asked the Pakistan Government to reconsider the case on humanitarian considerations as well as principles of natural justice. The unwritten legal code the world over was that let hundreds of guilty people escape death, but one innocent should not be put to gallows. Meanwhile, a Foreign Office spokesman, in response to a question on a report in a Pakistani newspaper that Pakistan had sought consular access for 222 prisoners in Indian jails, said, “The issue of prisoners exists on both sides. We have sought consular access; at the moment I understand the latest figure is for 107 prisoners. We have also verified the nationality of 371 fishermen and 74 prisoners and we do hope that these prisoners will be released at the earliest. “ He added that similar consular access or confirmation of identity process was taking place for Pakistani prisoners in India. “ We treat the issue of prisoners as a humanitarian issue and we like this to move as fast as possible,” he said.
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