Chandigarh, August 24
Chandigarh-based human rights activist advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal has moved a petition before the Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, seeking commutation of the death sentence awarded to alleged Indian spy Sarabjit Singh.
In the petition, which was sent yesterday, Mr Lakhanpal has requested General Musharraf to intervene in the matter and save the life of the Indian citizen, who has been sentenced to death only on the basis of his confessional statement made in custody.
Mr Lakhanpal, who has successfully dealt with over 200 cases of Pakistanis languishing in Indian Jails after having inadvertently strayed into this country, has requested the Pakistan President to consider the manner in which the police and justice system functions in the two countries.
Mr Lakhanpal is also President of the World Human Rights Protection Council.
“We all know how our system works in both countries and how confessional statements are obtained by the police. To convict a man and then sentence him to death on the basis of a confessional statement is not only wrong, but is unjustified, unreasonable and un-warranted. In the present case, sentencing a man to death on the basis of such piece of evidence would be wholly unfair not only for Sarabjit Singh but also to his family,” the petition says.
Requesting the President to use his power to commute the death sentence into life imprisonment or even free Sarabjit, Mr Lakhanpal has said that the same would enhance the image of Pakistan in the world.
